Devil's Claw
by Midas Izumi
Summary: Hinata Hyuuga. Gaara of the Sand. As pawns in the struggle for power their worlds unexpectedly collide... Disclaimer for all chapters: All Naruto characters (except OC) do not belong to me. They belong to Kishimoto-san!
1. Chapter One: Brand New Eyes

" _There are darknesses in life and there are lights, and you are one of the lights, the light of all lights_." - Bram Stoker, Dracula

 **...**

 **Chapter One: Brand New Eyes**

Smoke. Blood. The brief exchange of kunai. A thud, probably a body hitting the pavement. A louder thud heard from afar. Hinata could hear the commotion but her body was lead. Much as she desired to sit upright and see what was going on, she could not will her body to move. Helpless, as always. A hand, cold as ice, touched her chest. She could not even muster the reflex to flinch. She was so weak. That hand then radiated, pulsed, with warmth - chakra - nursing her veins, focusing on the point against where her onii-san had slammed his palms a month ago during their skirmish at the Chuunin Exams.

The damage he incurred onto her would have been avoided had she forfeited a fight she would never win. But she had the need, the burning desire to prove herself, because of Naruto-kun. Naruto-kun noticed her and supported her. Unlike her teachers, the clan or her father, she needed not demonstrate her strength in order to win Naruto-kun's support. Naruto-kun just...believed without proof. Naruto-kun had faith in her. To him, Neji nii-san was not formidable. He was nothing an iron will could not beat. Because of Naruto-kun, her heart raced with adrenaline enough to overcome years of helplesness, shame and torment. Naruto-kun's resolve could compel anyone to make them think the impossible could, would, happen.  
She had thought of that, her Byakugan laser-focused on Neji's chest, thinking of nothing else but to graze her palm on it.

Perhaps Naruto-kun had overestimated her, she thought as her nii-san's hand shoved concentrated chakra onto her chest. Her heart quaked and she coughed, sputtering blood. It was brutal. Even with the intervention of the jounin and her eyes waning shut, she could still feel his searing ferocity, his sheer hatred ingrained in every throbbing pain her wound had caused. No matter, her heart had been aching for years anyway, since she disappointed her father at every turn, since Hanabi showed more promise as the future clan leader, since they've entrusted her to Kurenai-sensei to hopefully die during a mission within a few years, just so Hanabi can evade the cursed seal fate and legally succeed as the rightful clan leader.

Because of Naruto-kun she thought she could bend fate with will, as if the winds would change course once they have detected a reinforced tree. But if even the sturdiest trees succumb to be uprooted by such force of nature, then how much more a flower as tender as her?

If fate were wind, then what is Naruto-kun? What object could withstand such torrent without crumbling into a lesser heap? In the arena, Neji nii-san was pitted against Naruto-kun. Everyone had thought he would win, with his x-ray omniscience, seamless defense and unforgiving offense, only to be proven wrong. Although he'd struck Naruto-kun's tenketsu with surgical precision he managed to do the impossible, unseal them to make shadow clones. Despite being deadlast in his class, Naruto-kun had the intellect to spare to deceive Neji nii-san one last time before he scraped his way out of the earth - just to punch his jaw. The match was over and the unimaginable occurred. Naruto-kun had won, much to her heart's delight - and its ache as she collapsed not long after due to the same pain, reminder of the weaknesses and regrets that were hers.

 **...**

Somewhere in the thickness of the forest, was a beasts-made clearing. A puff of smoke caused the nine-tailed kitsune to recede to its original amphibious form. Atop it perched a stubborn blond fool which, though his limbs were restrained by the sand, managed to smash his forehead onto his other crimson-headed peer. The boy, pupil-less and in shock, was effectively disarmed as his tanuki and armor collapsed into powedery-fine sand.  
The shinobi in the vicinity could only gape in awe as the two landed on the trees. The humungous tanto separated them, its polished blade halved their reflections. They lunged at each other before the guy in the orange jumpsuit landed a punch to the other's cheek, both plummeted groundward.  
Somehow both alive, the kohl-rimmed jinchuuriki, Sabaku no Gaara, would ask, part-terrified and part-disbelieved "How? How is it that you can fight even though you're alone?". To that, the blue-eyed boy would fervently reply "My friends...they saved me from the hell of being alone! That's why they are important to me!"

They were one and the same. And despite that, this boy was loved. He had also loved. Loved had made this guy strong. Love, the symbol seared on his head, how was that different from fear? When was the last time he had ever felt anything this pure and warm? All he had felt, was made to feel, was tension, if not outright spite or condemnation. He was not a vessel of the beast. He was the beast. He was the channel for the creature's utter abhorrence for humanity. Shukaku mocked him, disturbed him, twisted him to its fancy. Neither could it escape, nor would it die. Love? His uncle Yashamaru merely pretended. His father, the Third Kazekage, only saw him as a weapon. His siblings Kankuro and Temari sweat and fumble at the sight of him, much more could they touch him.

For years he only had the sand's embrace. It was his shroud against the frigid night, the gag against his sadistic racoon, the sword and shield against his enemies...but this boy before him had no such sand. He was weak, supposedly so. Gaara should have bathed in his blood and pulverized corpse by now. Instead there they lay, mutually sapped of power. No, the fool moved using his chin to crawl towards him. What was he doing? Gaara yelled him to stop, to back away, but to no avail. It was then when the leaves cascaded from their respective trees he realized that he too bore a monster. He too, had suffered through the hatred of a village, none of which he deserved yet, instead of swallowing their loathing, he aimed for their respect. The reckless dunce dreamed to be Hokage, a protector of the very country that more than once blamed him for their loved ones' deaths and begged for his inexistence! What kind of bullshit is that?

"Stop. I've had enough." Gaara meekly spoke. His siblings were at a standstill with an Uchiha when they turned to him, nonplussed. How could a kid of aged twelve be able to not only match their frightening little brother, but also reduce him to near-paralyzation? Not wishing to mull it over in front of the enemy Kankuro picked up his brother's weakened self. The two immediately fled and tasked themselves to return with him to Suna. Was it out of duty, the bearer of Shukaku had wondered. Did Baki order them to do this? He was nowhere to be found. Would they, with their sane minds, willingly carry him home without taking the advantage of killing him at his most vulnerable? Would they, despite all the threats they received from him, among other cold words? They might be compelled to, he was their nation's bargaining chip after all. It'd be a three day's journey so he'll see. He, too, surrendered to the exhaustion and fell into the first peaceful slumber of his life, again hearing the utterance of his Uzumaki comrade "But I've met people who are very important to me now. I won't allow these people...to get hurt!"

 **...**

The Heiress and the Demon slept with their nightmares in tow. And, unbeknownst to the two, both shall awaken with brand new eyes.


	2. Chapter Two: Sleight of Hand

**A/N: Reviews will help me write this story better.**  
 **More author's notes in the reviews section.**  
 **Have a great break you all!**

...

" _Magicians and mentalists predict the future because they create it._ " - Amit Kalantri

 **...**

 **Chapter Two: Sleight of Hand**

Tense was the atmosphere permeating the court of the Konohagakure Headquarters. Among the jade floor, tatami mats, and crimson marble pillars were the most esteemed leaders and elders of both the Fire and Wind countries. With folded knees they surrounded and occupied the formidable rectangular low table. The council of Suna and Konoha sat opposite one another, both flanked by their respective clan leaders. They had regarded one another with curt bows, prolonged sideward stares accessorized by whispers. Their respective guards stood two paces behind, similarly wary of foreigners. The last man to enter the room was from Konoha, followed by two masked and hooded men in black. Using his cane, a gong against the weight of silence, he ambled towards the head of the table, among two elders. This man, with a bandaged arm and eye, looked as if he wages war every single day. His gaze scanned the entire room where he bowed to no one. Danzou Shimura he was known, the overseer of the Fire's covert intelligence operative, the shadow of the shadow.

Koharu, the only female council member of Konoha, spoke "On behalf of Konoha, thank you for coming all the way from Sunagakure. As you may have been informed, the councils of both villages along with your chosen representatives and clan leaders have been invited in order to discuss a matter that should bring...further prosperity into our nations." The Suna council member was ready to raise a discussion when Danzou added "And let it be known now that any act of transgression comitted within this meeting is considered a declaration of war between Konohagakure and Sunagakure and all within this room, involved in the scheme or not, shall be as held prisoner of war." He toured his sight across the table and each nodded tersely in agreement. Although he had one working eye, it seemed that his entire body was watching them, peeking through his clothing. He offered a polite smile "Please, continue."

The council member, Gouza, cleared his throat and proceeded "As was discussed earlier, the combined invasion of Konohagakure by in the hands of Sand and Sound shinobi was orchestrated solely by Orochimaru, a legendary Sannin and the late Third Hokage's rogue disciple." He paused, checking if he had offended the other party. Danzou relinquished his cane and motioned him to continue. "Our own Kazekage was murdered by the Snake. He masqueraded as our leader then mobilized our shinobi to ambush your Hokage during the Chuunin Exam tournament." This time, Danzou's elbows are on the table, his fingers of one hand clasped on top of another and he leaned forward. Baki, the council member next to him and the mentor of the Sand siblings, attempted to read his posture. Was it eagerness, curiosity or suspicion that fueled such movement? The council member next to him inserted "Also, we have talked to the daimyos of the wind country and they are willing to cover for the reparations caused by this war. However they will be in installments, and the sum can be arranged-" Does he think that we're not telling the truth? It was neither. "Let's get into the meat of the matter, shall we? We've finished discussing the pardoning of Suna and war reparation costs. We have negotiated a truce. But, our battle had left us weakened, and the rest of the great nations circle us like vultures to a carrion! The security of our alliance is crucial!" Danzo had interrupted, emphatic.

"Danzou is right," said Homura "Iwa-nin on the west, Mizu-nin and Kumo-nin on the east, we cannot afford to just be civil with one another. We must unite for our countries' sake." His gaze flitted to the dignified Konoha clan leaders beside him, the most notable one being the stern-faced Hyuuga Hiashi before he commenced "And no bond between nations had ever been stronger than that forged by marriage." The Sand council members exchanged murmurs before Baki had asked "You wish...to seal our alliance through the marriage of two clans?" They were met with a consensus nod. The jounin gulped and went on "What do you have in mind?" Seemingly anticipating the conversation to lead into this point, Danzou smirked "How has been he faring, Sabaku no Gaara?"

 **...**

Hyuuga Hiashi did not like it one bit. Three days prior the meeting, he was summoned to the Anbu Headquarters. "I am the Head of the Hyuuga clan I have duties which I cannot leave here." The white-eyed man told the two masked messengers. They were crouched in front of him as a gesture of respect "Danzou-sama requests for only an hour of your time. We were sent to escort you." Hiashi frowned at this. He probed "Did he require anyone else but me?" The two glanced at each other then back to him, the silver-haired one replying "He told us to tell you that 'this meeting concerns the future of Konohagakure'." Hiashi gritted his teeth "What does he mean by that?" He knew that the matters of the village outweighs the matters of his clan. The two Anbu gave an almost imperceptible shrug. The pale-skinned Anbu in bare midriffs replied "Danzou-sama only told us what we needed to know. Please come with us, Hiashi-dono." The Hyuga leader looked to his fellow elder, who nodded in approval. He sighed "Alright," he eyed the two suspiciously "But I will be having someone accompany me." He got up from his mat to prepare.

As he walked across the compound he could hear the noise from the training room. His youngest, Hanabi, had been sparring with one of the Branch House members in order to refine her taijutsu. Hiashi took a moment to observe the child through a half-open sliding door. She was small, thin, almost lizard-like in frame yet she was brimming with confidence and determination. She did not hold back from her punches and kicks. Wherever she saw an opening she struck. She ducked one hand coming at her while deflecting another. She lunged, missed, and was flung across the dojo. Not one to mull on her sores, she got up with irritation. Just as one thinks that his fireworks of a daughter could not get any fiercer she became such, faster at evasion and stronger at hitting. She grunted, growled and shrieked as the Hyuga continued on his way with a grin on his face, immediately replaced by an upturned pout at the sight of his eldest crouching in their garden. _The girl_ , he thought, _all she did was stare at flowers and talk to them!_ It took a few more steps for the girl to notice him. She jerked around to face him, flustered and head bowed. He paused. How would this daughter of mine run a clan? She could barely look me in the eye! The thought of this deepened his frustration, carving the emotion onto his question "Any missions today?"

The girl searched for words. This had been the only communication between her and her father nowadays, since she had shamed herself in a duel between her sister and her father practically disowned her. "N-nothing," she stuttered "K-Kurenai-sensei...is o-on a m-mission." His father no longer barked at her to look him in the eye. He no longer urged her to speak to him with conviction. Instead she could hear his deep sigh "And your training?" Hinata moved her head to the side, gazing at their reflection on the surface of the pool, soon interrupted by a ripple. Hiashi briefly closed his eyes, opened them, and spoke "If you cannot shoulder the responsibility of the entire clan, then at least try not to be a burden to your teammates." To that the girl whispered "Y-yes, father." When she had finally glanced up, she saw the sway of his waist-length dark hair as he walked away.

 _Byakugan!_ Veins protruded on the temples of Hiashi's and his companion's eyes. They scanned the underground complex where their Anbu escorts are leading them. Content that there was no ambush waiting for them, they descended using the stairs. After a long quiet walk they found themselves exiting a cave, arriving at it mouth flanked by two stone statues: on the left was the god of preservation and on the right was the god of destruction. He had finally seen his summoner, who tethered closely to the river. "Ah, Hiashi-dono. Thank you for honoring my invitation." He waved his hand to dismiss the two Anbu, both of whom disappeared in a flicker. Sensing the elder would not speak unless only the two of them remain, Hiashi gestured the same to his companion. Then he spoke "You said that it's a matter concerning the village. Of course, I am obliged to come." Danzou offered a gentle smile, which only irked him further. "Konoha is at a precarious position. News of the invasion, much as I've tried to prevent it, had reached the other Great Nations. And just recently, my children have caught an alarming number of spies from Iwagakure, most of them passing off as either farmers or merchants. Kumogakure had also been more...assertive...when it comes to bypassing our borders." The Hyuga had not glossed over the man's metaphors. By prevent, he meant assassination. By children, he meant his Anbu. And by assertive, he meant a prolonged belligerent attack at their borders. "How do I fit in all of this?" he asked. Danzou smirked."We are uncertain of Kirigakure's silence but it won't be long until they make a move. We cannot defend ourselves from the onslaught of three nations when we're on our own. An alliance is crucial," he eyed Hiashi before continuing "And it must be ensured." The fair-eyed leader gritted his teeth, he knew where this was heading "Marriage. You're planning to have a member of my clan wed another from Suna." Danzou smirked again. After all, the Hyuga possessed the eyes which could pierce through any facade. "Precisely," he responded while pacing.

"Why should it be from our clan? Konoha houses several clans!" Hiashi protested. Danzou was even calmer as he faced the water "But there are only four great clans." The Hyuga furrowed his eyebrows "The Aburame, the Akimichi, the-" he stopped, realizing that the Uchiha had been nearly extinct for years. "None of the two has anyone who is suitable for a male heir." This further addled the Byakugan user "Has Suna told you that the heir they will provide is male?" Again, Danzou flashed a knowing smile and the other caught on with ease "You already...have someone in mind. You're going to use my clan in order to pressure them towards the option that you want." The elder's smirk widened "Nearly there, Hiashi-dono." He disturbed the water with his stick before he paced towards him. "Then what exactly do you want? Tell me!" Hiashi growled impatiently. "The outcome that I desire is simple. I want Konoha to gain control over Suna's most powerful weapon which is the Ichibi. For that to happen, we must gain control of its jinchuuriki which happened to be the son of the Kazekage and a royalty of Suna. The only way to gain such control without inciting further hostility between our nations is through marriage, betrothing him to a powerful clan." Danzou gazed at the looming statue to his left "In preparation I have considered and examined all available prospects within clans. As I've mentioned earlier, the Akimichi, Uchiha and the Aburame have no suitable female heirs close to the jinchuuriki's age. I've also looked into the lesser clans and I've briefly considered the clan of Yamanaka since they have a girl...Ino?"

"And what changed your mind?" Hiashi asked, his gut ominous with feeling. "The Yamanaka clan specializes in Mind techniques. Of course we would not want Suna to dabble in our clan's precious ability by proxy of right to any offspring...incurred...within this wedlock." Danzou responded in a matter-of-fact manner. "It's even worse with our clan's ability since the Byakugan is inherited. It is a kekkei genkai." The clan leader retorted. A flash of smirk. He had also thought this through "But you have...foolproof...preventive measures." Danzou now lifted his gaze towards the right statue "Hanabi Hyuuga and her descendants will automatically be Branch House family members of your clan. Therefore, they will receive the Caged Bird Seal." Hiashi's hairs stood on one end. He fought for his eyes to not widen with disbelief. _This old fart wanted his precious daughter to be given off like some harlot to a beast!_ Salt to a wound, the elder added "And as an additional precaution, to also protect the secrets of your clan, your daughter must have the seal on her as well before she departs for Suna." Hiashi nearly choked but he mustered all strength to stuff his anger "My other clan members have daughters." Danzou pretended to consider it for a moment before he replied "You see that wouldn't do," he smiled at him, feeling how helpless the clan leader was trapped in a situation he had so carefully devised "The Suna council will struggle for power and they will demand for a princess worthy of their prince." Hiashi's face contorted in anger. He bared his teeth and clenched his fists. The cards were spread out for him a moment ago. He watched them disappear, one followed by another.

 **...**

The final council member, Jouseki, gave his piece of mind "Sunagakure had survived but not without the death of several of its precious shinobi, most of them chuunin. Furthermore, our newfound ill-repute will not only harm our gold trade among the neighboring countries, but also the employability of our ninja. This marriage is the best course of action that I can see. It will not only ensure our alliance with one another, but it will also better the reputation of our villages. The other villages will think that we have truly reconciled and will think twice of invading our borders." There was nodding around the table. Gozou then spoke "The Kazekage has three children: Temari-sama, Kankuro-sama and Gaara-sama. They are all currently below the age of marriage but are aged enough for betrothal."

Actually, there was no right age for betrothal, since it only involved an agreement between two families or clans. "After giving it much thought, our council has decided to betroth the eldest of the siblings, Temari-sama, to Sasuke, the survivor of the Uchiha clan." The process had all come down to the power of the clans and the doujutsu they wish to possess. The sharingan prowess is legendary for its diversity and potency. Danzou's mouth curved "We would gladly give you the child, if we could. However, I should tell you that the child is strong, to be matched against your Gaara, and no person in Konoha or Suna would be able to...convince...him to this deal. Not to mention, I heard the kid has an iron resolve to kill his brother. If he won't come to his brother, his brother will come to him." Hiashi thought of the older sharingan-wielder who defected from Konoha. Itachi Uchiha, an S-class missing nin rumored to have massacred his clan, was probably the most gifted and the cruelest of its users. "If I may boldly suggest," Danzou said, "Why not consider a union with the Hyuuga clan?"

"Whose member of the Hyuuga clan?" Baki warily inquired. "Hanabi Hyuuga." Danzou replied as the tea servants have arrive.

The three Sand jounin had no choice but to mull it over. The Uchiha brat can be restrained, but it will take a lot of effort. By the looks of it, the genin seemed stealthy enough to run away during the night and they could not count on his stupidity to be killed by the desert. Would it be worth it for his precious doujutsu? He will not be married and be counted on to produce offsprings with sharingan until a few years later. Having him as a medical experiment would not do either. After all, he was supposed to be the face of the Konoha alliance with their nation. Who are the other options? There are three other great clans within Konoha. Apart from gold, the desert is rife with insects the Aburame clan could tame. Perhaps the Akimichi's Body Expanding Technique can be counted upon to restrain the next time Shukaku attacked. Baki gave them a sharp look. Konoha will not concede. The Akimichi clan is part of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio and they will not be likely to share their secrets outside of their respective clans or their village. Besides, their clan abilities is not as desired as Hyuuga clan's formidable eyes. Their kekkei genkai would be a lucrative bargaining chip to the other nations who have been trying to unlock its secrets for ages. The offspring of the planned union, considered as citizens of the Sand, would surely further diplomatic ties with Kumogakure, among the other Great Nations who'd show interest. "Hanabi Hyuuga is not the successor of the Main House of the Hyuuga clan. Furthermore, she is far from child-bearing age."

Hiashi slammed his fist onto the table, rattling the teacups, seething as he exclaimed "You want me to give you the future of our clan?!" Danzou smirked. Hiashi-dono was playing his part well. "Perhaps we can...achieve a balance." Danzou interjected "The Hyuuga clan, I daresay the mightiest clan of Konoha, would only be considering your proposition if you were to offer a shinobi who can...match...their significance in our village." Baki was on the verge of gawking. The old man had the nerve to insinuate such thing! He might as well ask Suna to surrender the Ichibi as a gift! Jouseki pretended to have missed the insinuation "We intend Kankuro-sama, an excellent shinobi and the eldest son of Kazekage-sama, to be wed with Hinata Hyuuga, the firstborn and successor of the Hyuuga clan." Danzou's lips were pressed into a hard, thin line. He began to sip from his cup. "I dont't like games," Hiashi retorted. "I am not giving you any of my daughters unless you betroth her to the jinchuuriki."

A silence, heavier than lead, blanketed the room. Once the Hyuuga appeared to have calmed down and the Sand council murmurs have ceased Jouseki resumed the discussion "Our council agrees. We will betroth Gaara-sama, the jinchuuriki, with Hinata, the Hyuuga heiress, under the following conditions."

 _First_ , the heiress would spend half a year in Konoha and half year in Suna up until their month of marriage.  
 _Second_ , the marriage ceremony would only be held in Sunagakure.  
 _Third_ , in the event of the death of one of both betrothed the next in line will take over, them being Kankuro-sama and Hanabi Hyuuga.  
 _Fourth_ , all children born from the union of the two were considered de facto citizens of Suna and would be exempted from the Caged Bird Seal ceremony.

"Do you object to any of these?" Baki asked the Konoha party. Hiashi glanced at Danzou before shaking his head. "However, I also have a few conditions I need Suna to honor." The head of the clan had deliberately obligated the entire country to his daughter. He watched them set down their cards on the table, allowed them to distract him with fancier propositions. The eyes of the Hyuuga however, a pair of truth-lancing lavender-tinted orbs, would never be fooled by something as facile as a sleight of hand.


	3. Chapter Three: Yellow Rose, Lavender Sky

**A/N: 2 days 'til 2018...are you all excited? Indifferent? Wishing to no longer be alive to witness it?**  
 **Reviews will help me write this story better!**  
 **More author's notes on the reviews section.**

...

" _In joy or sadness flowers are our constant friends._ " - Kakuzo Okakura, The Book of Tea

 **...**

 **Chapter Three: Yellow Rose, Lavender Sky  
**

" _If you cannot shoulder the responsibility of the entire clan, then at least try not to be a burden to your teammates._ "

Upon hearing Hiashi's footsteps, she jerked up to face him. She knew her father did not like seeing her fooling about in the garden wasting her time on tending camellas. Her heart hammered in her chest as she anticipated his temper. She half-expected him to yank her by the arm and toss her into the dojo or the main courtyard where the other Hyuuga's of her age would hone their Gentle Fist technique. Today he did none of those. He neither berated her nor became infuriated at her stutter. He did not tell her to keep her chin up and look him in the eye. Instead, he just uttered those words and walked away...which alarmed her even more. It was like a bowstring being drawn or a music box being winded back. Something was wrong. Something would be wrong.

Before the sense of dread could overwhelm her she dashed out of the Hyuuga compound. She ran, ran as far as her legs could take her and almost tripped on her feet. Fortunately, she found her balance.

Hinata ran without a destination in mind. However, her feet had led her near the Main Gate, causing her to stop and wonder why. Was she running away? Was she actually considering of leaving everything behind? She had spent all her life in this village. Konoha was her home and the home of everyone she knew and loved. Speaking of love, the corner of her eye caught Naruto-kun and an older man exiting the village, the latter's wooden sandals clacking on the pavement.

The middle-aged man stood out with a long spiky hair gathered in a ponytail, a red tatooed line streaking from underneath his eyes to his jaw. He wore a mesh armor underneath a green kimono and a red haori with two yellow circles on each side. She noticed Naruto-kun dragging a backpack stretched to its limits, its size almost spanning his entire height while his companion seemed comfy with a scroll slung just below his waist. She focused on Naruto-kun's voice which yielded the words " _Pervy Sage"_ , " _new technique"_ , and " _next Hokage"_.

Gazing at Naruto-kun, her cheeks had flushed red with memories. This was the boy whom no one believed in up until a few days ago when he defeated the touted genius of the Hyuuga clan, her clan, Neji. They hated the kid still for reasons she could not fathom besides a lot of merchants losing their money from betting on the other kid. Naruto-kun proved them all wrong. He made it to the finals through sheer effort and determination.

 _Don't give up Hinata! You can do it!_ He was the one to cheer her on. He never allowed her to give up. His conviction makes you think that anything is possible and he would prove you right. Even at her greatest failure he himself never gave up. Unlike her father, he wasn't disappointed. At this moment, she asked herself the same thing she had asked when she was being carried on a stretcher after her preliminary combat with Neji. Before, it had been blurted out as rhetorical, a question marred with crippling self-doubt. But now...

" _Was I...able to change...even just a little bit_?"

.

.

.

" _Yes_."

Hinata decided that she had overreacted. As soon as that realization hit her, she sprinted for the opposite direction. She had to find her strength, someone to make her stronger. To hell with fear. Whatever it was that she felt, she had attributed to her overactive imagination. Perhaps it was her old self, screaming for her self-preservation. She wanted to stay in her little bubble, where little was expected of her. All her life she had hid behind stronger people: Kurenai-sensei, Kiba-kun, Shino-kun...even Naruto-kun! But if there was anything she learned from the Academy, brutal training of the Hyuuga clan, and the belittling gaze of her father, it was that life would not allow the persistence of the weak. In the shinobi world where an opponent would unflinchingly murder a child if it would weaken the enemy group or at least incapacitate it long and well enough to deliver a fatal blow, a fragility like hers would only bring down the people she holds dear. One look at her knocking knees, reluctant eyes and anxious grip is enough to tell that she's the weakest of Team 8. She could already imagine Kiba-kun and Akamaru jumping to her rescue and Shino-kun abandoning his focus on the target in order to ensure her safety, thus rendering their cover and strategy moot. Neji nii-san was right, everyone treated her like a princess!

 _Yamanaka Flower Shop_. The sign caught her attention and she stopped on her tracks. This was where she had bought all her gardening tools. She peeked at the shop window and saw her classmate, Ino, wearing an orange shirt with a flower stamped on its single breast pocket. Ino, though her opposite - loud, confident and determined - was very knowledgeable in how to take care of probably any plant she could think of. Hinata opened the door and the bell rung. There was another girl at her counter, Naruto-kun's teammate Sakura. They were so immersed in their heated exchange that they did not notice her coming in the establishment.

"What did you say, Ino- _pig_?!" the pink-haired kunoichi shouted.  
"I said I hope you woo Kakashi-sensei successfully. That way, I'll get Sasuke's undivided attention." the blonde answered with a smirk.  
"I changed my mind," Sakura quipped "I'll just buy a bouquet of this for your funeral."  
"How about you pay me a little extra and I'll make it into a wreath to distract them from your _billboard_ forehead?" the Yamanaka retorted.  
Their banter had quickly devolved into one-worded insults.  
"Boar!" said Haruno.  
"Hag!" answered the other.  
"Ugly!" Sakura knew how vain the florist was.  
"Flat!" yelled Ino, which caused Sakura to gasp and reflexively cross her arms over her chest "How dare you it's still growing!" she defensively uttered.  
The blonde placed her hand on her hips and raised an eyebrow "Really, where? In another dimension?"

Hinata couldn't help but giggle and they finally noticed her. "Oh, my favorite customer! Hi, Hinata! What brings you here? Something wrong with the camellas?" The Hyuuga frantically shook her head and stuttered "A-ano, I just want t-to buy flowers." Ino raised her eyebrow again "Flowers? Not seeds?" Hinata nodded at this and the florist is intrigued. She exchanged whispers with Sakura who also murmured back at her. She then asked "Are you sure? Who are you giving them to?" The Byakugan-user's face reddened as she attempted to respond, her index fingers poking each other "I-I'm j-just g-gonna g-g-go to-" Sakura sighed and said "Ino, stop badgering her! Poor Hinata, she could hardly speak!" To this, the Yamanaka defended herself "I'm not! It's just unusual. She always asked for fertilizer, seeds or a trowel...never a flower. So I'm curious who she's giving it to." Naruto-kun's teammate elbowed her "Ino! It's obviously..." she whispered it to her ear. With this, Ino couldn't help but giggle at her customer. This caused Hinata to almost protest, despite not knowing what it was about. "Sorry though, Hinata. All the red roses were reserved by Asuma-sensei and the white ones were, well, used for the Third's funeral."

The florist exited her counter and toured the girl towards the flowers on display. Long-stalked, short-stalked, symmetrical petals, irregularly-shaped, some were wide to showcase all their splendor while others flowers were layered and muted, inviting you to the depths of their allure. She was marvelling at the collection when Ino spoke again and startled her "The ones we have in stock are yellow roses. They're not as popular as the red ones since they mostly mean friendship. Are you okay, Hinata-san?" The girl nodded. "I-it's fine I-Ino-san. M-may I buy one, p-please?" Ino whispered to Sakura, who shrugged in response, before she replied "Okay. Would you like a bow or a tag to go with it?" The other nodded again. They went back to the counter to have the flower wrapped. Ino gestured the bow rack beside them "Which color would you like your bow to be?" The florist asked.

Hinata swore she could have fainted.

 **...**

 _kill...Kill..KILL!_  
 _wa..want...blood._  
 _Kill._  
 _Gaa..ara...aa._  
 _KILL._  
 _I want blooooooddd._  
 _kill._  
 _GAARA!_

The redhead startled awake. In movies, the voice was part of the nightmare and it faded once the character had woken up. But his nightmare was real and the voice persisted. "Blooooodddd..." the voice reverberated in his temples. He sat upright and clutched his forehead. The moon was a gleaming perfect half among the stars and the thin sparse clouds that won't ever become rain. He glanced at the clock, its hand quietly announcing every second that had passed. He was barely able to doze for an hour. He gathered his breath and sighed "What do you want, Shukaku?!" The Ichibi chuckled from within him and said "I've been telling you but you weren't listening!" Silence hung with the darkness and dampness of his room. "It's never been the same," The monster continued. "Every since you met that fox kid I had to begin nagging you again."

Gaara mulled over this. Before he met the kid he had revelled in killing anyone who had crossed him. No weapon or jutsu could reach him and harm him. He could sit there and not move a muscle, only will the sand within his gourd to do his bidding. He used to wonder why Shukaku hated humans and shinobi in particular but after Yashamaru's suicide he stopped doing so because he understood. He hated them for hating him. His father never loved him. He only saw him as an arsenal for a weapon that would retain their reputation as a Great Nation, despite their nation being mostly barren and a hair's width above poverty. But that kid, Naruto...

He was something. From the moment they saw each other an overwhelming surge of bloodlust electrified his every pore. He looked at his eyes and saw that they were blue. It was neither as blue as their empty sky nor as blue as the sapphires their workers mine. Rather, it seemed an oasis at the heart of a parched desert.

"Fine by me."

 _kill...Kill_.. _KILL!_  
 _Gaa..ara...aa._  
 _I want_ blooooooddd _!_

"Shut up... SHUT UP YOU DUMB RACOON!" he shouted, hand on each ear, head twisted to his knees. But the voice kept on, now succeeded by a hoarse guffaw "I've done this for years! You know how relentless I am. Let's see how long you can hold out this time." Shukaku savored every word he had uttered. It felt good to rattle his prison cell.

The boy closed his eyes but the instant that he did his memory of his Uncle Yashamaru returned. His smile, his seething final words. _Live for yourself. You will never be loved. Bakemono!_ Gaara opened them, but the voice was just clinging onto the back of his inner ears. _Kill. Blood. Bleed. Give me a taste_. He pushed himself back to bed and curled up to a fetal position. Even stronger, swifter imagery of the people he murdered had assaulted him. The flesh his sand had peeled, the innards which were scattered, the eyes that rolled at the back of their heads as once he forced his sand onto their gullets, the limbs he ripped apart and threw when he was in a gaming mood, just to see how far it would travel. "200 meters was a record." The tanuki goaded at him. He screamed, rolled off the bed and landed on the stone floor while his ears were brimming with the monster's cackles. He searched for the nearest wall and knocked his head against it.

 _ **Bang!**_  
 _HAHAHA_  
 _ **Bang!**_  
 _HAHAHAHAHA_  
 _ **BANG!**_  
 _haha-_  
 _ **CRACK!**_

A shard of his sand armor fell onto the floor and Gaara paused, his cheeks now streaming with tears. He commenced hitting his head again. The racoon kept on laughing, entertained at his attempted self-harm. "We've been through this so many times. The sand will never allow you to come to harm. My sand will always protect you." he genin immediately stopped and, as if in a trance, went to gather his stuff. Shukaku, intrigued by this sudden calmness, ceased tormenting him and observed."Oy, Gaara. Where are we going?" He was ignored. The Ichibi continued to nag him, flashing violent imagery behind his eyes yet again until he succumbed "To my brother." He spoke through gritted teeth. He walked out and slammed the bedroom door shut.

Kankuro fell out of bed when his bedroom door flew open. He looked at the passage and saw his younger brother dressed in his full ninja attire. His dishiveled hair, the prominent dark circles around his eyes and his hollower cheeks were testament to his nocturnal torture. Kankuro almost felt pity for him, if it weren't for his seething, frightening, expression. "Get dressed. We're going out." Gaara commanded with his arms crossed. He paused to consider his brother, who was half-naked and clutching his blanket over his torso. After examining him, the jinchuuriki asked "Where is your other hand?" To this the older brother blushed and exclaimed in defense "I-I-I was sleeping! Y-you should have knocked f-first!" He hurried to close the door while his brother stepped back "Give me a few minutes!" Gaara heard the racoon giggle. "What's so funny?" Shukaku responded "Something guys your age are supposed to do." Sensing that it was beyond the youth's comprehension the monster sighed "Perhaps I've been too hard on you. Remind me to indulge you more with dreams about the female of your kind." Still drawing a blank, the Suna-nin decided to ignore Shukaku's ramblings "Then again I don't have much material to work with. I've been sealed inside a fucking monk before you."

His older brother had finally finished putting on his purple make-up and they headed for the palace exit. They were vigilantly watched over by the guards, composed of chuunin who either could no longer perform or no longer want missions outside of Suna. Nobody who knew what Gaara was capable of would ever touch him yet the guards were ordered not to let anyone out, especially the jinchuuriki, at the dead of night. That is why the two guards posted on either side of the final gate of the palace had been sweating their thighs at the sight of the fiery gourd-bearer. Each step towards them made them wish they were on an espionage mission to Iwagakure instead. The two princes stopped in front of them and they gulped. If they let them go, they would be fired from their jobs and would find a hard time looking for a job in the village. They might have to leave Suna and move their families to a nearby rural village. They could be miners, exotic animal poachers or fishers if they ventured into the far south of the desert. Whereas if they hinder the two with their spears, Gaara-sama would surely use the sand to grab them by the ankles and cast them off into the ravine under their bridge or, if he's in a festive mood, choke and bury them with his sand. Despite shaking from fear the two maintained a rigid stance of opening the gate so the two could exit and descending onto the town proper. Once Kankuro and Gaara had passed the two guards had exchanged pained glances with one another. _We're so fired_.

 **...**

Hinata sighed as she looked up and ascended the stairs of the grotto towards the boy with waist-long brown hair. The trees danced with the careful wind and the birds took opportunity to ride the tide of air. The boy, his back turned to the origin of these birds, began counting. When they've passed over his head he had counted them again, annoyed that he missed one. "What brought you here, Hinata-sama?" he said, without facing the girl once she had reached the summit. "Did Hiashi-sama call for me?" The girl did not respond. Instead, she extended her hand holding the flower towards him. The Hyuuga gasped and turned around. Hinata's eyes were cinched shut and her face was pink. "A-ano...Neji nii-san..." She was handing him a yellow rose with a small red bow tied at the middle of its stalk. Neji tilted his head to the side, mincing his words "I...I don't think of you that way, Hinata-sama." Hinata opened her eyes in shock and her face was now crimson "I-I-It's not l-like that! Th-this flower...gift...means friendship...asking you...train...jyuuken!"

Silence.  
"I'm sorry. What?"

"Neji nii-san," A blush followed by a vocal stumble. "PleasetrainmejyuukensoIcanbecomestrongerlikeNarutokunandfatherwontbeashamedofmeanymore!" She panted as if she had just finished a marathon. It was now Neji's turn to sigh, at least she's a bit more comprehensible at the second try. He slightly raised his face to gaze down at her "Alright. I will train you. We'll begin tomorrow morning." These mere words had caused her entire body to relax and flash a gentle smile at him which caused him to stiffen "Although, I should warn you that I am strict and a perfectionist. Considering your personality you might-" _Break_ , he was reluctant to say so as he did not want to discourage her from the get-go. After all, he could feel Hinata-sama's budding determination-and rising strength. The girl smiled wider, her gaze slowly meeting his "You underestimate me too much, nii-san." The sentence was uttered so faintly that Neji almost thought he was hallucinating. There was no stammering in it too. Before he could react Hinata-sama had somehow gotten him to hold the rose. No one had ever given him a gift, much more apply for apprenticeship under him. "Could she really be this driven?" he pondered as she left.

 **...**

Gaara raised his arms and commanded a torrent of desert sand charioting down the dunes. Meanwhile, his older brother tightened his clutches on both his poncho and the scarf which covered his mouth. The moment they had exited the gate they hopped on the pile of sand and zoomed onto the outskirts of the city until they've found a suitable training ground to practice a new technique. It was a dim and frigid night and they were standing atop a sandstone ledge. Kankuro no longer wondered why Gaara could brave the wind without a single chattering of teeth. _Demons were never cold_. He just regretted not fixing a hot drink from their kitchen before they left.

One after another, giant walls of sand thundered forward and dissipated onto the distance. At first, Kankuro thought that the objective of this exercise was to see how far his brother could channel his chakra to keep such massive amounts of sand together but due to the random distances and directions each attempt had reached, he changed his answer. Gaara was merely exhausting himself so the Ichibi wouldn't bother him. Even if it does, he'd be too worn out to care. Or he was just waiting for daybreak, when the bakemono would be sleepy himself and it would momentarily leave him alone. When the sand manipulation had begun to falter, Kankuro asked "Oy, Gaara. It's almost sunrise. We should be returning soon." He glimpsed at his redheaded brother and witnessed him sweating profusely despite the chilly eve. "Not yet," he muttered while panting. "But Baki might be looking for us!" he retorted. Heedless, the youngest beckoned geysers and whirlpools of sand, often so near their cliff that twice Kankuro had to cough out the dust which infested his mouth.

An hour or so passed and the jinchuuriki collapsed to his knees, absolutely spent. Kankuro had been waiting out the storm from inside his wooden puppet, his stomach growling. How he longed for bread, figs and soup! He emerged from the torso of his puppet Kuroari. He was about to stand up and walk over to help his brother on his feet when the latter had fainted and fell from the ledge. "GAARA!" His brother shouted in alarm. He tried to grab his hand but he was too late. The boy was plummeting fast onto the ground. A splitsecond before hitting, the sand in his gourd formed into a pair of two hands which cradled him then disintegrated once the impact was absorbed. It took Kankuro a few moments to find a descent onto the ledge, all the while yelling his brother's name. With the Shukaku slumbering, or perhaps his exhaustion temporarily weakening their communication, his inner world was tranquil. Eventually, the boy's weary seafoam green eyes opened. He stared at the sky, now tinted lavender from the impending sunrise. It was brimming with gentleness. In his mind, truth be told, it was... _the most beautiful thing he had ever seen_.

Kankuro was dashing towards him despite being knee-deep on soft sand. He arrived next to him, breathless but mad "Oy Gaara! What are you-" He had to stop. The boy, the same boy which frightened, threatened and lorded over him, was now asleep. Each muscle on his face was relaxed. In fact, he looked at peace. "Cche, I'm so hungry I'm seeing things." Kankuro kicked his brother on the arm with caution in order to check if he's fully unconscious. The sand, like a magnet, was formed a thin barrier to repel his toe. "And I'm not gonna carry you all the way back!" He fell onto his rear in resignation, his stomach roaring for food. "Baki should find us. He'll bring food...maybe Temari." The shinobi puppeteer had uttered to himself as the budding sun repainted their horizons.


	4. Chapter Four: Between the Sand

**...**

 **A/N:** Apologies for not updating right away! I've been eager to start new projects but it doesn't mean I'm going to abandon this storyline. GaaHina have so much potential. In fact, I'm actually developing, expanding, this AU with the spinoff "Puppet Show" but through Kankuro's perspective so expect the events here to tie up with some of there and so forth. Also, I've created an outline for the story until Chapter Ten and I'm already proofreading the next two chapters as we speak.

Most importantly, thank you _Splaaash-attack_ , _Busi_ , and _sinedd662_ for gracing me with your reviews! Taking time to write down your thoughts or reactions to my story, no matter how curt or vague, is no less than invigorating. :)

* * *

" _...And when I lifted my eyes to your name, suddenly your heart showed me my way."_ \- Pablo Neruda

...

 **Chapter Four: Between the Sand, the Snake, and the Sky**

"GAARA!" The jounin councilor was seething with fury. Still, the jinchuuriki was unfazed, his arms crossed on his seat and his gourd detached and rested beside him. Baki decided that he had berated the redhead too many times. None of these were ever to his favor. The boy would either shut him up with a frightening look or an outright formation of sand. Strangely, he seemed a bit more...restrained? He attributed it to his near-death exhaustion. "You...what were you doing out there in the middle of the night? Do you know the bounty on your head? Mercenary-nin would have kidnapped you! Worse, the Konoha ANBU would have seen that as an opportunity to assassinate you. Oy, are you even listening?" He paused, there was no change in expression.

The boy wasn't looking directly at him. "I made sure to drain as much of my chakra as possible. When I was finished, I couldn't move. There was not enough chakra to support even my legs. I was unconscious. However," he fixed a stare on the table, as if mulling over something else. "Kankuro said that the sand still protected me. The fall was high enough to kill me. But I'm still alive and unharmed." He finally eyed his mentor and father figure "I forced Shukaku to sleep...he said his sand will always protect me. Do you think the sand still carries his will? To protect me even if he's asleep?" It was now Baki's turn to cross his arms "Shukaku is powerful. The Ichibi may have embedded its chakra on the sand in your gourd to act separately on his behalf, even if it's asleep."

Gaara seemed unsatisfied "What happens to the bakemono when its jinchuuriki dies while it's still inside?" The jounin closed its eyes to think, before speaking "Most of the accounts were about the death of jinchuuriki during extraction, not before it. But I believe that if ever you are weakened enough to die, the Ichibi will be free." He continued "The strength of the seal in you depends on your vitality. The jinchuuriki before you reached old age and fell sick. He was too weak to keep holding the seal with his chakra and it's weakened. The old man would so much as sneeze and have partial transformations." As if reaching the crux of his confusion, Gaara asked "Why is the Ichibi protecting me then? Shouldn't it drive me mad...and careless enough to die so it'll be free?"

"The sand...it not only protects me. It...feels like it has a will of its own." The redhead told him. Temari opened the door to peek but Baki gestured her to wait outside."What makes you think that...your sand has a will of its own?" He asked. The other just looked at the gourd "It can sense my pain. It channels my hatred." He clutched his forehead with his hands "And...when...Shukaku tries to make me lose my mind I hear a voice...a woman's voice." To this, the jounin gulped. Gaara hadn't noticed him from his position "The voice just sings to me. When I open my eyes, the sand had built itself around me. It feels...it feels like I'm inside a-"

 _Womb_ , the boy had meant to say but he was interrupted by Baki letting Temari inside. Her sister cautiously occupied the adjoining seat. "I'm sorry to interrupt you but we're pressed for time. I have something important to tell the three of you. Where's Kankuro?" he asked the blonde. Temari shrugged "I don't know. He left the moment he was treated." The jounin scowled at her. She was compelled to reply "H-he's been bitching about being hungry though." The other sighed, went to the door and talked to a guard "Arikou! Find Kankuro and bring him here." The chuunin obliged and left using a body flicker technique.

Baki closed the door and walked towards them. He stopped and uttered "The council had been preparing this for a month, but I'm cutting it close by telling you just now because I don't want anyone to interfere. We will depart tomorrow at the break of dawn. Everything else in this conversation is non-negotiable." The fan-wielder crossed her legs and then her arms "Which is..?" she asked.

"Our alliance with Konoha...through Gaara's marriage." He quipped. Temari's mouth had been rendered agape and, from the corner of his eye, the jounin saw that Gaara was in shock too, though his expression was much more subdued. The only evidence of his reaction was the further paling of his skin, which was apparently still possible.

 **...**

The Iwa-nin with the uneven sleeves walked into the mouth of the snake, Orochimaru's hideout, without so much as a flinch. Hardly anything startles her, neither the darkness nor the danger of her enemies. What else would, she had been around far stronger people all her life, such as her Tsuchikage jii-san. She seemed to relaxed, even adjusting the knot of her hitai-ate on her forehead while she ambled down the stairs. Before she reached the bottom of the stairs her body froze and suddenly several white snakes had encircled her limbs and restrained her. "Don't underestimate me!" she yelled and released herself from the genjutsu. "I'LL KILL YOU!" a Juugo gone wild screamed. His back thrusters spewed chakra as he practically flew across the cramped cave towards her.

The skirmish ended with several wrecks to the wall, collapsed entrance and a severely weakened Juugo whose entire body from the neck down was coated with heavy cement. Unscathed she walked on top of his head, then scaled down the mound he formed. As she reached the end of the corridor, she was met a bespectacled man "It's been a while, Kurotsuchi-dono." The dark-haired girl smirked "And you've always been hospitable to me, Kabuto-san." She spared a final glance at her unconscious opponent. "Where are those four bumbling idiots anyway?"

"That's the only guard we could spare. The four were sent to the Land of Fire to retrieve someone." Then a pained scream echoed through the walls from the heart of the cave. It was Orochimaru, cursing his molting and useless arms. Kabuto adjusted his glasses and smiled "Orochimaru-sama is currently indispensed. What can I do for you in his stead, Kurotsuchi-dono?" The Iwa-nin placed a hand on her hips "News of defeat travels fast, Kabuto-san. You know that. We're all informed of your horrible failure to conquer Konoha." He remained unfazed "Orochimaru-sama has not failed. He never really meant to conquer Konoha. He had his eyes set on someone there."

"The Hokage?" she offered. Kabuto almost laughed but he stopped himself "Someone who will undoubtedly surpass the old fart."

"So that's why he sent his guards away," she raised her eyebrows. "They're going to Konoha to retrieve that guy, right?" Kabuto scowled at his quick-witted guest. "Again, what do you want?" Kurotsuchi's black eyes gleamed as she smiled "Pretty much the same thing. My jii-jii the Tsuchikage got a whiff of the Konoha-Suna alliance forming and of course, we want to prevent it."

"And we'll assist to that by..?"

"Handling the prevention part of course! More like ambush and kidnapping actually."

It reeks of dishonor, he thought as he adjusted his glasses again. "I see, that's why you don't want any of your shinobi to be involved in this." She acknowledged that with a nod "We want you to send a party to intercept the caravan headed for Suna, kidnap the Konoha bride and bring her to a dropoff point where our ANBU will take over."

"Wait, what do you mean by Konoha bride?"

"According to our intel, Konoha and Suna had been deadset on forming an alliance through marriage. They're planning to publicize it in a few days."

"It would help to tell me the name of the target." He pressed.

Kurotsuchi shrugged "Beats me. They've been secretive about the couple but our political analyst suggests that in order to maintain power balance, it would have to be a powerful clan from Konoha and the jinchuuriki from Suna." Kabuto took a notepad and pen from his backpocket "That info is better than nothing," he was jotting down as he inquired "Do you have any intel on the escorting party?" The girl shrugged again "Not much, but expect them to be heavily guarded. That jinchuuriki is no light artillery either."

"I will not lie to you Kurotsuchi-dono, but what you're asking for me is...very difficult. I'm not sure how we will be compensated."

Howling, shrieking, coughing, all these sounds rapidly bounced against the walls of the den. Kabuto sharply turned, eager to nurse his master while the girl looked over his shoulder "If you ask me, me not killing your groaning master is compensation enough." The man scowled at her as she smirked at him "But then my jii-chan is more generous. He told me to tell you that he'll offer you money so you can bounce back from the cost of the invasion and a hundred prisoners, twenty of them with kekkei genkai." Kabuto's eyes slightly widened as he cracked his own mischievous smirk. This reaction did not get past her "Wow it's as if the word kekkei genkai summons your boner."

The echoes of pain had subsided. "I know you'll agree to this. You need all the help you can get." She glanced over his shoulder once more before meeting his gaze "Now tell me how you'll do it. What's gonna be the strategy?"

Kabuto turned around. His eyes were conceled by the shadows but his glasses glinted against the candlelight. "Follow me."

 **...**

Peals of thunder announce the approach of rain and the sky was heavy with clouds. A palm barely grazed Hinata's stomach and yet the next thing she knew, she was flying halfway across the courtyard. "Again," the older Byakugan-wielded commanded before resuming his offensive stance. Hinata got up on her knees, struggling to pace her breath. Since their first session, Neji-nii-san had been relentess. This time, he asked for her to try to aim at the chakra point in his center without looking at it directly. "We do not have all day."

The moment Hinata was able to stand up Neji was already charging towards her, forcing her to cross her arms in front of her face and deflect his incoming blows. The swiftness and ferocity of his punches ensured that the girl's focus is on her upper body. The boy noticed her misstep and twined one of his legs just above her ankles, causing her to trip.

As she fell onto the ground she gasped and shut her eyes, scared of the fingers aimed at her throat. The thunder roared again. Since this was a sparring, Neji immediately got up, retreated and sighed "Again, Hinata-sama." Despite feeling the fatigue from the hours of assault, she propped her elbows and responded "Hai, Neji nii-san!"

Before she had fully managed to stand up, she asked "Nii-san, wh-why would you m-make me use the Byakugan but n-not use it t-to see my t-target?" The other changed his posture and rested "There is a saying within our clan 'we do not see with our eyes; we are the eyes of the heavens'. At first, I thought it was ridiculous. The function of the eyes is to see and we clearly use it to see, so why would this saying exist? " Hinata was puzzled. She had heard it before but she never figured it out. "However, I came to understand the true meaning of the saying," Her nii-san continued with a soft smile "It is not merely our eyes, but our entire being capable of sight. The shinobi will try to get their hands on our byakugan but they will never be able to master it, nor can they use it to its fullest extent like we do." Hinata placed her hand next to her lips while she gnawed. Then she asked again "Wh-what about 'the eyes of the heavens'? What d-does it m-mean?" To this, Neji had reserved a far more cryptic reply "There is more to sight than merely seeing, Hinata-sama. Think about this, how would the eyes of heavens see differently from those with eyes of the earth?"

Before Hinata could decipher what he said, the older boy had already sprinted towards her, commencing their exchange of open-handed blows once more. From afar, beneath the canopy of an old tree, another pale-eyed woman with hair as green as the leaves and a kind visage watched over them. She would offer a gentle smile with each instance Hinata would get a chance to glance her way. It was her manner of reassuring her master that she was doing well. Without warning, the Head of the Clan approached, dignified air hung over and caused her to face him and bow "Hiashi-sama," she regarded him before looking at him straight in the eyes, the difference of fire and ice despite the sameness of their hue. Hiashi broke their gaze to observe her daughter, now twice had stumbled but had gotten up quicker each time. The young girl's zeal came across as she did everything she could in order to stay upright this time.

"Natsu, do you think she's improving?" he asked her without looking. "Mm," the woman affirmed "She had improved her posture. Moreover, her reflexes are now fast enough to evade Neji-dono's attacks." Hiashi further scrutinized the training "Hinata's eyes are activated but she's not even focusing it to see her enemy's chakra pathways." His tone was frustrated but Natsu merely answered "Neji-dono had specifically requested Hinata-sama to do it."

The older man was surprised. He realized that Neji respected his daughter's strength so much that he had allowed her to expand the capabilities of their vision. He silently cursed himself for not understanding it immediately. "How long had they been training?" A wider grin appeared across the woman's lips "It's been almost a month, but their sparring had only begun within this week. Neji-dono would first build her stamina and strength by making her run across the village, lift weights and practice her movements on wooden dummies. Hinata-sama sought him out the moment he was discharged from the hospital."

Hiashi watched his daughter again. Had it been that long since he had last spared time to look at her? The month had been busy. He had been in charge of the Fifth Hokage induction ceremonies. He had gone to Kumogakure to renew the vile truce that had taken his dear twin brother's life. He had also visited Suna to help draft the prenuptual agreements between the two royal families and to ensure that her daughter would be treated with hospitality despite the longstanding grudges the citizens, including the older council members, have against the Konoha. He could have stayed and let the Hyuuga elder perform in his stead, but he was adamant that he oversee such affairs personally.

"Hiashi," Natsu called his attention. He wasn't surprised that she dropped the honorific. She would often do so when they were in private. "Hinata has changed. Can you see it?"

"Ah," he agreed "But she will always be delicate. She's too much like her mother."

The wind howled mightily and the sky darkened further, threatening rain. "You can believe that but that's not what you're seeing right now, are you?" She told him. She was right again. "There's fire in her eyes once more." She continued, quashing any form of denial that will erupt from the other's lips. Hiashi faintly groaned then uttered "She can't take back what she had lost. She cannot be the clan heirress anymore. She may show strength now and she might be stronger...but she will just have to be a strong kunoichi." Natsu scowled at him, offended for the girl. "Why are you so eager to turn your back on your daughter?"

"She has disappointed us enough." The clan leader had curtly responded.

"She was too young to know what you demanded of her!" Natsu exclaimed. This caught Hinata and Neji's attention which caused them to stop and bow in different depths as an acknowledgment of his presence. "Oto-san," the girl simply said but it was enough to startle Hiashi. His daughter was obviously withholding her panting breath but her back was straightened and her chin was up and her gaze was meeting his. There was no meekness or guilt in her tone, only eagerness.

For a fraction of a moment he had finally witnessed the one thing that he had been trying, too harshly, to coax out of her in years. It was not strength, as the clan elder would often say. It was determination. While physical and political strength would enable the clan to fluorish, it was determination that would nurture the strength expected from her, one that would nuorish her vision for the clan, one that would reap the esteem the Hyuuga should have for her. In times of adversity, determination would be the only crutch of her sanity. Now it was before him and he was welling with emotion. This did not escape his daughter, whose air of mightiness softened into that of concern, but none of the weakness he'd normally perceive from her "Chichue, is there something wrong? D-did I..?" Now aware of her stutter, she cleared her throat and met his eyes again "Was it something I did? Did I do something wrong?"

 _You've done everything right._ It took all effort to stop himself from shedding a tear. Natsu was beside him, touching his arm as if to steady him. He shook his head and turned away. Hinata's mirth had dropped and her eyes were half-lidded from disappointment. She thought that her father will finally acknowledge her improvement. She had barely spared time for eating or sleeping, devoting them instead to relentless training. She remembered to straighten her posture and look him in the eye while speaking, to act confident but humble. She did not cut her hair anymore, choosing it to remain long. All nobility of Hyuuga kept their hair long and she was fervent at taking back her identity as one. But perhaps, it doesn't matter anymore. He did not seem to notice her transformation. Despite all of this he still turned his back like he always did after they sparred in her childhood, when he would sigh and had to stop because her body was too tired and beaten to get up once more. You think you've come far...but then you're still this bumbling stupid child he'll never be proud to have.

"Hinata-sama," Neji had already assumed fighting stance "Again please." Hinata was startled but she faced him "Hai! Neji-niisan." She had been too absorbed in her thoughts to notice that her father had left with Natsu, who accompanied him back to the mansion. Before she resumed stance she closed her eyes and reactivated her byakugan "Nii-san," she said and Neji halted his first advance. "What is it, Hinata-sama?"

The wind blew the leaves that gathered around them and the first droplets of rain had fallen. "I'm far from being strong as you but please, don't give up on me." The kunoichi was on the verge of tears. The other's face was softened by his faint smile "I would never-" His statement was cut by her own, stiffling the stammer brought on by her sobs "B-be by my su-side wh-wh-when...when I t-take back m-my right!" She furiously wiped her tears away. "I will be the head of this clan! And you will be with me. We...we will change the Hyuuga and help Naruto-kun become Hokage!" The downpour had soaked their clothes but none of them moved for shelter.

 _Hinata-_ sama _..._

A moment of silence, an anticipation of reply, was fractured by a slow yet willful nod then a promise "I will always be by your side."


	5. Chapter Five: Bird Set Free Pt 1

...  
 **A/N:** Izumi-san here! This chapter would be a bit longer than usual and shall be divided into parts.  
I had uploaded Chapter Four just as I read your review _Justanaiza_! So here's my separate shoutout. Thank you for support! I appreciate it a lot.  
 **More author's notes at the end of this story and on the reviews!**

* * *

" _So lost, the line had been crossed  
Had a voice, had a voice but I could not talk  
You held me down_" - Sia, Bird Set Free

...

 **Chapter Five: Bird Set Free Pt. 1**

An unknown shinobi was spotted leaving from the direction of Konoha. He hopped from one branch onto the next. Five leaps later, he heard the rustling of trees. The shinobi with porcelain masks trailed after him but they were nowhere to be seen, only to be heard by the faintest tremor of the leaves. "One...two..." He counted. Then he heard bird chirping. Upon his seventh leap a glint of blade swirled past him. He was frozen in shock, as the skin of his neck perfectly, diagonally splits open, a fountain of blood geysered from his lacerated carotid artery. Gughghhh, his mouth involuntarily gurgled blood and he fell headfirst from the branch.

In reality he had been ensnared in genjutsu the moment he heard the birds chirp and he fell from the branch due to paralysis. The three ANBU who pursued him had appeared next to his stiff body, kicking it over to face them. Upon seeing the symbol of the Tanigakure hitai-ate, they looked at each other and nodded. The two disappeared using the body flickering technique, while the one who was left collected the unconscious body before he followed suit. Unbeknownst to them, a second ninja appeared like a mirage against the wind to observe the events that occured. She then disappeared, like ash swept by gust.

 **...**

"Aw man," Kankuro barely had any sleep but he found himself packing for a trip anyway. Baki told him to hurry, to pack lightly because they won't stay over long and to make sure that all his battle puppets are in working order right after he was sent on a mission to retrieve someone important. _An antisocial bat witch, you mean._

Gaara, on the other room, had only bothered to pack the scrolls or books he would bring to pass the time. Not many know this but the jinchuuriki loved reading. After all, how else could he pass the time without anyone to talk with other than the bakemono inside him who could not get over the news it just heard. "Somebody's marrying you? The only girl you've talked to since birth is Temari...and you're not even good at it!" He could already imagine the huge monster rolling in his cell. He could hear it guffawing endlessly. He elected to ignore it and combed through his chest for scrolls or books he might not have read yet, or had not read in a long time that he had forgotten its contents.

"Oy brat," the laughing stopped. The tanuki was serious "I know what you did to yourself. Just know that I'm gonna be on guard from now on." Gaara sighed before he called him "Shukaku."

"Hm?"

"If I die without you being extracted...will it set you free?" The boy asked. The Ichibi crouched on his cage and closed his eyes, pondering of the question "I don't know brat. They've always extracted and sealed me from one prison to another. I've never seen a jinchuuriki die with me still in it. I'm usually the cause of death." Gaara nodded in consideration, before rummaging deeper into the chest. The Ichibi was curious "What made you ask?" When the redhead ignored him, the racoon was irked and flashed thoughts in his head. They weren't violent memories of his. It didn't involve blood or bone...rather sweat and skin. Deep breaths and moans. He was deeply confused. It's as if their mouths were battling who gets to devour each other but not quite. They would part for air every once in a while. The male would give up trying to devour the female by her mouth and proceeds to try to eat her from the other parts of her body. The female would make no such move, just biting her lip until the male had travelled the farthest south ensuing the female's loud gasp.

Gaara could neither believe nor comprehend what was playing at the back of his eyes. "What...just what is this?!"

"Hm?" Shukaku asked with a dumb smirk on its face.

"SHUKAKU!" he exclaimed. Kankuro from the other room stopped moving. Satisfied that his brother's not losing his marbles trying to wreck his room, he resumed tinkering with his puppets.

"Calm down brat. I saw that one with the monk. Some starcrossed ninja lovers or whatever were going at it next to our cave. Great view, actually." the racoon waved off the vision, leaving the boy who had then clutched his head in agony. When he had regained composure, the Ichibi said "You're probably going to do something like that to this Konoha girl."

"Why?" he asked without neither a hint of embarassment nor dread. Shukaku gawked at his innocence before chuckling to himself "Nothing brat. Hope she's pretty. That's all." The tanuki ceased to bother him for the rest of the day. Having collected the scrolls he wanted, he stared at the tattered teddy bear perched on the far end of his bed, an old plaything of his, and whispered goodbye.

 **...**

Hinata sprinted up the grotto where Neji would observe the birds using the back of his head. Unlike before she did not have to catch her breath. This had been part of her earlier training regimen, to scale up and down the grotto and the stairs accessible to the Hokage monument. When she arrived at the top, no one was there.

" _Okashi_ , nii-san is always here in the morning." she uttered to herself. Undeterred, she formed the seal and activated her byakugan. Just in time, as from the back of her eyes she could see Neji about to kick her from above. She turned around to slap the foot away only to be followed by a kick from another foot which she blocked with her corresponding forearm. Neji landed on his earlier foot, whirling around to face her. Hinata reflexively stepped back, crouched low and assumed the traditional Hyuuga fighting stance. He smirked, and stood up "Good thinking, Hinata-sama."

The girl mimicked him and bowed a curt nod "Thank you Neji nii-N-Neji-sensei." She spoke, testing the flow of the words on her tongue. This caused the other boy's cheeks to tint pink. "This is the best I can do to repay you. In that exam, I've almost-" Hinata gave a smile which could beat the sun in warmth "Nii-san, please don't think about that anymore. Your hatred of me is justified." Neji urged to protest but she continued "Throughout my life, all I've done is make you resent me. If I weren't so helpless and weak then you wouldn't have thought that life was unfair, that you had to be caged."

"All through it, I really thought...how cruel it is. Fate played a trick on us. Wh-why w-would someone a-as important as you be-become burdened by s-someone as worthless as m-me?" She was trying to stuff her tears, stammering in the process, when Neji yelled "Enough!" She gasped and bit her lip. "Look at me," he ordered her. She slowly met his gaze "All that training...it would be for naught. You will never be strong," he paced towards her "For true strength lies not in our eyes." He cupped her cheek and wiped a tear off her cheek with his thumb. "Not in our hands," Hinata glanced at his bandaged palm and pressed her cheek further against it. She reveled at the warmth it radiates and the callousness of each finger pads. "But what lies in there." He removed his hand and gently tapped the left side of her chest. He sighed, looking down "I'm really glad you've forgiven me, Hinata-sama." Then he placed both hands on her shoulders "Fate is responsible for our circumstances but so is choice. Leave your past self behind and improve yourself to reach that dream. You have a dream, right?"

Hinata nodded, her warmest of smiles returned "I'll take back my right. We'll change the Hyuuga and help Naruto-kun become Hokage." His forehead collided with hers as he added, his voice deep and reassuring "And I'll always be by your side."

The birds announced their arrival in the sky. Neji broke their gaze and activated his byakugan. He counted them as they passed. "Missing one again." he whispered. "Nii-san, what is it?" Hinata asked. The boy shushed her as he sensed approaching footsteps coming up to them. It was the newly promoted chuunin, Shikamaru, among others, bore the news of a life-altering mission.

...

Hiashi's head hung low as he walked. Danzou had personally talked to him again that morning and he was pretty sure that the godaime knew nothing of his actions. His ANBU intercepted a rougue ninja from Tanigakure, the Land of the Hidden Valleys, earlier that dawn. Apparently he was tracking the Suna party headed for Konoha. The Interrogation Division searched through his memories and found that the Land of the Rivers struck a deal with the higher echelons of Kirigakure who were apparently aware of the Konoha-Suna alliance through marriage. They planned to ambush the caravan passing their border with a battalion of shinobi and mercenary-nin, kidnap the bride, and groom if possible, and deliver her, or them, to the Mist to be held for ransom. Danzou was right about the Mist being silent but concocting such an underhanded plot on the side. "The Tani-nin thinks that the couple will leave in three days after their announcement was made public. We will... _not_...make an adjustment to our schedule." He remembered him speak. It made Hiashi absolutely certain that their plans would totally change.

Which led him to this place. The Suna party had arrived at Konoha and were hosted to a breakfast at the Hokage Headquarter's pavillion. The only person missing was her daughter. He called his trusted guard Kou to search for the ex-heiress and report her whereabouts to him. Kou had found her on the grotto with Neji and other genin "Shall I escort her, Hiashi-sama?" To this the clan leader shook his head "No, I'll get her myself."

Atop the grotto, he found her practicing with herself. She punched, kicked and whirled, as if facing an enemy only she could see. Hinata stopped, faced him and bowed "Oto-san," she said. It was plain and formal, unlike before. "Hinata," he called her. She gasped, disarmed by her father using the name he had not uttered for months "Walk with me." Did she just hear that correctly? The man turned around and began walking on his own when the startled twelve-year-old shook her head and ran to his side.

 **...**

Kankuro salivated at the abundance of the buffet before him. There were so many fruits like watermelon and citrus, then an array of different-flavored waffles and pancakes. Tiers of onigiri, noodles, omelette, pork, beef, chicken, fish-each of which prepared in no less than five ways. Konoha had none of the exotic gamey food that they usually eat such as gizzard. He may have stuffed his plate too much for the pile of food was threatening to crash and spill on the floor. Temari punching his head wasn't of help. "We are royal guests here, baka. Act like one!" She said through gritted teeth. Gaara knelt next to the long table, quietly sipping his tea and eyeing Baki who guarded him with his stare. For the occassion he wore a maroon single-breasted, full-sleeved and gold-buttoned tunic that reached to his knees with flat trousers of the same color. His unruly hair was combed and gelled into a neat side part. This is the best the Suna-stylists could do to brighten the somber expression of his face, the jounin mused.

" _Mataku_ , that Orochimaru. How dare he use the Sand village for his rotten schemes!" Tsunade fumed. She promised not to drink on the job but the first few days and it's already proving to be difficult. She turned to Baki, who is in charge of the children "My sincere condolences to the Kazekage." The Sand-nin nodded to acknowledge her response. "Thank you, Godaime Hokage. The Kazekage has passed away but the Wind will remain blowing. I'm sure if he were alive he would definitely do the same-strive for peace and unity with the Land of Fire." Tsunade could not take it. _One small cup of sake should calm my nerves_ , she thought as she gulped. She wiped her mouth with the back of her palms. The Konoha council members, especially Danzou, glanced at her with disapproval. "B-but still...an engagement. When I was that young I didn't even know how to wear lipstick properly, much more become a wife!"

"Godaime-sama, we do not plan to marry them right away." Gozou answered "In Suna, the legal marrying age is 15 but in the land of wind the legal marrying age is as early as 13 or upon menarche." Tsunade stared at her second cup of sake "So three years, huh?" She gulped. _Old habits die hard_. Danzou could not handle the way their hokage was carrying herself, in other words disgracing them. He stood up with his cane and approached the party "Forgive us, fellow elders but I thought the engagement is already...settled. What made you come to Konoha three days before the true hosting party?"

Jouseki calmly sliced the fish on his plate before he spoke "For several generations, the Bat Hag has overseen the compatibility between the betrothed of respective royal families, much more esteemed clans." Tsunade was pouring her third cup when she raised her eyebrow "Bat Hag?" Gozou nodded "Hai, Godaime-sama. The elder usually tests the fitness of the future husband and wife to produce children who will equal or surpass their strength. She will also tell us if the kekkei genkai of each parent will be passed onto the offspring without conflict." Danzou looked at him, half-suspicious and half-curious "What do you mean by conflict?" Though they were far apart, Gozou felt the need to scooch backward from his seat as if to retreat further from his gaze "The Bat Hag is v-very secretive about it. But in Suna, we know that if an insect-user marries a person with fire affinity, their children will either inherit the fire affinity or insect-using abilities. It can never be both."

Seemingly satisfied by the explanation, Danzou nodded "Where is this Bat Hag then?" Baki signalled Kankuro, who annoyedly left his seat and unfinished feast to collect his puppet from the darkest corner of the room. The moment it sensed sunlight peering through the slits of the puppet it shrieked and proceeded to thrash within the cage. Tsunade, on her fourth cup of sake, became excited and giggled at the sight. No one else in the room is unfazed. "The Hag is blind and nocturnal. She resides in one of the ancient caves on the outskirts of Suna. She hadn't seen the sunlight in hundreds of years and we usually deliver the couple to her abode so she could perform the ritual. However," Baki explained while Kankuro drags his puppet back to the darkness "With such a high profile marriage we cannot risk to perform compatibility after the announcement."

"Why is it very important?" Homura, the other male Konoha elder, asked.

"The Kazekage clan will and must always have its sand users. Recently, we have discovered that Gaara-sama has a kekkei genkai called magnet release which not only enables him to move sand but to manipulate its form and even summon specific types of sand." Jouseki replied "And we have also found out that this kekkei genkai will only manifest if the child is able to inherit the combined wind and earth chakra nature which Gaara-sama posseses."

Danzou tried to hide the shock on his face but he was disarmed. He realized that their enemies are trying to break off the engagement through this compatibility test. He was an elder but it did not make him ignorant in studying trait inheritability. "Suppose, you deem Hyuuga Hinata unsuitable to bear children with such ability that will be enough to break our engagement?" he asked.

Jouseki swatted a fly hovering around his cup of green tea "The engagement will still happen, Danzou-dono." He sipped before he continued "However, it would be to Kankuro-sama instead." To Danzou, the meaning of it was simple, conveyed so in the subtlest yet most piercing manner. _You cannot have our jinchuuriki._ Kankuro choked on his food and coughed. The vein in Temari's forehead bulged and she slapped his brother's back to dislodge the piece from his throat. So much for that clam, he thought.

 **...**

On cue to dissipate the tense air of revelation, Hiashi arrived in the pavillon with his daughter. He was flanked by his bodyguard Kou and the helper Natsu. Hinata was wearing an elaborate lilac silk _furisode_ with wisteria accents, swan patterns below her waist and a dark purple sash. The back of the garment was woven with the Hyuuga crest. Her now shoulder-length midnight blue hair was adorned with white daffodils and gold accessories. Her face was creamy yet pale and her features were highlighted by the barest hint of eye shadow and lips that were seemingly a natural consequence of eating too much blueberries. Her cheeks flushed at the sight of several guests, but she swallowed her nervousness and remained composed for the sake of proving to her father her newfound confidence.

At the sight of Hinata, Kankuro dropped his chopsticks. Temari gazed at her with envy. Meanwhile Shukaku...burst into a cacophony of laughter. It was so loud that Gaara had to shut his eyes and plug his hands onto his ears.

"Sorry we're late." Hiashi said and bowed to them. The elders dismissed him and the courtesans guided them to their seats. Hiashi was situated to face the Suna council members, while Hinata was seated across a distressed Gaara. The siblings' eyes were glued to her then occasionally flitting their gaze to their youngest broher, who seemed to be too preoccupied by the Ichibi to notice.

 _HAHAHAHAHAHAHA_  
 _She's pretty alright._  
 _Like_ hell _that girl will fall for you!_  
 _HAHAHAHAHAHAHA_

"Shut up."

 _I wonder. Do the carpets match the drapes?_

"What does that mean?"

 _Is her blood as crimson as your hair?_  
 _How much do you think will she scream when you tear her limb_ by _limb with our sand?_

" _URUSAI_!" He hissed. This beckoned Hinata's attention, who softly muttered " _D-_ daijobou _desu ka_ (Are you alright)?" He unknowingly flashed her a murderous stare, which caused the Hyuuga to gasp and retreat. Seeing this reaction, Temari remedied the situation by apologizing "Sorry about that uhm...Hinata, right? He's just..."

Being gravely injured during the chuunin exams, Hinata was not able to witness the terror that was Gaara, nor was she made aware that he was a jinchuuriki. However, she knew Temari to be ruthless in the battlefield. She was surprised that she was trying her best to help her get along with her brother. Hinata shook her head. "It's fine...uhm-"

"It's Temari!" she smiled with her eyes closed. At the back of her mind, however, her thoughts raced " _Wait a minute, I think I've seen her before...Ah! She fought that other white-eyed guy in the_ chuunin _exams. She was the weakling who vomited blood. She seems better now though...how come she doesn't seem that terrified of Gaara? She...just looks curious! Oh right her match was before his. She was hospitalized by then._ " Her thoughts were interrupted by the girl who said "It's fine, Temari-san. I-I myself am not really c-comfortable with social gatherings either." _Don't stutter!_ She chastised herself. _  
_

The fan-wielder crossed her arms as she resumed thinking " _What's up with the stutter? Do these Konoha old farts ever tell her anything? She seems really clueless!_ " She decided that perhaps it was for the best. Judging from her fragile appearance and sheltered upbringing, she might hang herself had she known what Gaara truly was.

"I guess that would be enough chitchat." Danzou had spoken for the room and all conversations, even mental ones, had ceased. He ambled with his cane towards the darkened and closed section of the pavillon "Let us commence with the ritual."

 **...**

Somewhere on the outskirts of Konoha, a giant arachnid was summoned. The Hyuuga was panting, his Byakugan focused on his six-armed opponent. He had an ominous feeling resonating in his gut. He would have attributed it to the instinct telling him that his enemy was leagues stronger than him-that he'd chewed more than he could swallow-when a memory flashed behind his eyes. It was Hinata-sama, the tears he wiped and the promises he uttered. "I will always be by your side." The unwavering trust in her eyes were like tides which cascaded onto his own. He felt himself smile, but it was erased by the queasiness of his stomach. Somehow, it felt just like what he had felt...moments before he was the soul trapped forever by the Caged Bird Seal.

* * *

 **A/N:** _Furisode_ is an elaborate type of women's kimono worn by coming-of-age women for formal ceremonies.

Apologies, I had to cut this chapter short! It's going to be too long if I don't. Part 2 is breaking my heart already :'( Don't worry, it will be updated asap!


	6. Chapter Six: Bird Set Free Pt 2

**...**

 **A/N:** This chapter is dedicated to Splaaash-attack, whose patronage of the story motivates me to update as quickly as I can. :) I look forward to seeing your story.

' _Koumori-baba_ ' roughly translates as ' _Bat Hag_ '.

* * *

 _"Youth is easily deceived because it is quick to hope_." -Aristotle

 **...**

 **Chapter Six: Bird Set Free Pt. 2**

Hinata was not used to having so many people around her. In front of her was her father, the Hokage and the council members of both Konoha and Suna. A mixture of guards from the Hyuuga, and the ANBU of two nations flanked the pillars of the dark room. Temari was standing a few paces behind her while she, and the curious redhead boy with kohl-rimmed eyes were sat in the middle of elaborately designed concentric circles. Nobody was telling her anything and whenever she looks at her father, he would look right back at her with a stern gaze, compelling her to just keep following. Natsu would smile in reassurance while Kou would suppress the worry brewing in his face. Kankuro dragged his puppet Kuroari into the front of the altar. With a signal of a nod from his sensei Baki, he motioned his fingers to release the locks of the door.

It flew open, regurgitating a figure cocooned in slime . She was hairless, save for a fistful of long black strands on its scalp. Her skin was alabaster-white and slimy like the salamander. She gasped as if she had just breathed air for the first time. Hiashi frowned at her hideousness when she glanced at him with eyeless sockets and he was startled "What is this?!" He exclaimed. The figure sniffed the air using her mole-like nose, flapped her arms and shrieked in excitement. Her arms were akin to deformed batwings, except hers was entirely made of loose skin and cartilage.

Hinata trembled in her position. This did not escape Gaara, who had been curiously staring at her since they arrived in the dark room. He watched the fire dance in her eyes, which were lavender mirrors reflecting the flickering torchlight. As those eyes widened with fear, it allowed him to further probe and admire its depths."Hm. I'm sure now," he can practically feel Shukaku nodding. "She's so easily scared Gaara! She will come to hate you easier than your good-for-nothing villagers." He ignored the tanuki, utterly seized by those pale orbs.

"Baki my son," her voice was as parched and dry as the desert where she came "Where am I?" She regarded him with her empty eye sockets, blinking rapidly. Baki was on his knees and bowed to pay his respects "Koumori-baba, I'm sorry for taking you away from your home but this is for the sake of our country. Please assess Gaara-sama, the son of Yondaime Kazekage, and Hyuuga Hinata, noble heir of the Hyuuga clan of Konoha." The bat hag moved onto the two children kneeling at their respective marked circles. She sniffed the redhead "Yondaime's brat, huh?" Then she used her garishly long limbs to crawl to Hinata, sniff her and brush her hair. The girl fought her urge to whimper. The hag chuckled "This one's beautiful." She crawled back to her position. Nobody could say anything to her, not even the fact that she's completely naked and that her breasts drooped like dog ears, slapping on her stomach as she moved. "Let's begin." She spread open the scroll on the floor.

The two were handed elaborately decorated needles by the respective guards. They were to prick their fingers with it and place their hand onto the marking in front of them. As Gaara could not deliberately harm himself, Temari instead put the preserved bandage on Gaara he acquired during his battle with the Uchiha. This brought a smirk of Danzou's face, as if gloating that even a Leaf genin could defeat one of their strongest weapons.

Meanwhile, Hinata was shaking with fear as she looked to her father. However, his frown compelled her to stab her finger. Just as she did there was a millisecond flash of Neji nii-san, her Neji, being skewered by a thread-guided arrow, pinning him against the tree. "NEJI!" she screamed. This caused the people around her to react and murmur to each other. The Hyuuga had punctured herself a little too deeply as it began to bleed more than a few drops. Natsu would've ran to bandage it but she was stopped by Kou, who told her not to interfere with the ritual. Hiashi bunched the robe draping on his thighs with his fists and clenched his teeth, as he watched his daughter, suddenly hysterical after she shouted her cousin's name. "Nii-san...nii-san is..."

The hag smiled at Baki before she began her chant. The markings prepared on the floor had glowed and activated. The jounin gritted his teeth for he knew the effect of the mystical needle. It was no ordinary needle. The needle, when it broke the skin of a human, enabled that human to momentarily connect with the human he or she loved. Usually, it would be a simultaneous ordeal for the couple as when Rasa-sama and Karura-sama were tested. However, this wasn't the case. Gaara, with his absolute defense, could not be wounded by anything while his possible betrothed, Hinata, proved to have given her heart to someone else.

Gaara remained fixated on the girl, who had collapsed to the ground in despair. The dancing firelight was replaced by a ripple of tears gushing out of those sockets. He was confused again. _Did the needle cause that much pain?_ "Oy Shukaku," he spoke in his mind "Did you do something to her?" The tanuki peered through the jinchuuriki's eyes "I didn't do anything brat. Don't you accuse me! Maybe she hates you that much." Gaara tore away his stare and fixed it on the glowing floor. His surrounding area glowed black while Hinata's shimmered in magenta. Writings simultaneously appeared from both edges of the scroll on their own, as if a pair of invisible hands were writing them. When the writings met in the middle the ritual ended and the glows faded. The marks hummed as they receded beneath the hag. She carried it over to the council elders behind her. Baki cleared his throat and said "This is the part when you ask her."

Hiashi reluctantly inquired "I-is my daughter...comaptible...with the jinchuuriki?"

"The blood in them is strong. They will undoubtedly produce strong offspring."

"What about the Kazekage's ability to wield Sand, the Magnet Release?" Danzo asked right after.

The Bat Hag sighed "It's not impossible but it would be rare and difficult. The Hyuuga's lightning chakra nature will interfere with the combination of wind and earth chakra which will allow the Magnet Release kekkei genkai to develop and manifest."

"Furthermore, if the child acquired such wind and earth affinity, it will clash with the mother's fire and lightning affinities." The hag continued to explain "This conflict will result to a fight for survival. If the child overpowers the mother, the mother will die. Whereas if the mother overpowers the child, the child will be expelled from her womb."

"In other words, a spontaneous abortion." Tsunade clarified and hiccuped "Since their element affinities weaken each other and hardly combine, it will be possible that the mother's body sees the child in her womb as hostile and terminate its development. But if the body decides upon no such mechanism, the child will become a parasite, leeching off the vitality of the mother." Hiashi clenched his teeth and threw daggered stares at Danzou. Did he know any of this? Did he know the danger he's put his daughter and not tell him a single thing about it?!

Sensing the change in atmosphere, the Bat Hag added "However, it is guaranteed that their offspring will be strong Wind, Fire, Lightning or Earth users, as compensation."

Jouseki nonchalantly threw in his question "Will their offspring yield the Hyuuga kekkei genkai, the Byakugan?"

"It's highly likely. The Byakugan is a dominant eye trait. It will be passed onto anyone even with those kekkei genkai. In those instances however, the Byakugan's dominance will weaken." Hiashi clutched his robes again. This Koumori-baba unwittingly discovered one of the clan's secrets. They opt to marry non-shinobi more often in order to preserve the purity and strength of their byakugan.

"What about the Sharingan?" asked Koharu. The hag raised the skin where her eyebrows should be "Sharingan? I haven't heard that in a long time. This is...another doujutsu...the crimson eyes?"

"Ah," Baki confirmed "The Uchiha clan possesses them."

She turned to Hiashi and asked in an almost rhetorical fashion "Tell me, Hyuuga clan leader. How come you never bred with the Uchihas?" Hiashi's frown deepened. He was forced to answer "Our clans once intermarried...but their children mostly never made it to birth...and non-shinobi who die in a few years." The Bat Hag smirked "Two conflicting heritages. Both centered on the eyes. They're both dominant eye traits who will not succumb to be suppressed by the other. The result are its absence and weakened child-just like these two countries before me. Desperately trying to stay on top of each other, they will fall apart and break upon their enemy's single-minded desire." They were forced to mulling it over when a slightly intoxicated Tsunade spoke "Heh, that harridan just told you off! Bunch of underhanded geezers-"

"Tsunade-sama!" Shizune burst in the door, past the guards, holding their pet pig TonTon. "What is it?" the Hokage asked annoyed, the alchohol reddening her cheeks. "Bad news! The genin who're deployed to retrieve Uchiha Sasuke are-" at the mention of this, Hinata's hunkering figure jerked up "Nii-san?!" Shizune met her stare in surprise "Hinata-san..." which were then contorted into sympathy.

"Baki, I need your help." The Fifth barked at the jounin. She got up and went outside with Shizune. The others council members, Temari and Kankuro followed suit. Hiashi was on his way out when he sensed his daughter launching herself to follow them. His palm shoved her by the chest and she collided back to her circle "Stay here. The ritual's not over yet." She propped herself on her elbows, her hands reached for the large door so distant from her fingertips. It shut with a thud, rejecting her so cruelly.

Only she, Gaara and the ANBU were left in the dark room. She looked around and at the high ceiling barely being reached by the dim lights of the torches before tears streamed down her cheeks. The sight of the ceiling was blurry. She wasn't looking at it anymore. Instead she activated her Byakugan and looked past it. Extending her vision from storey to storey until it reaches the free sky. Her comfort, and she allowed herself to smile even just a little bit. Gaara stared at her again. He could not fathom the overwhelming warmth stemming from his chest, the splendid heat quickly coursing through his body.

She was a puzzling, dazzling creature. She looks like an eagle ready to soar, an angel unfurling her wings. She might have been an angel who would fly so high, leaving him, while he, the creature of the earth, would sink in deeper into the sand until he hit a bedrock and be forever buried there. "Behold, the difference between a creature of the heavens and a cretin of the earth." Shukaku had spoken as if it had read his heart.

Suddenly, she turned her eyes onto him. It was his turn to be shocked. His eyes widened by a margin. It was a gaze which he felt could see all sides of him, inner and outer self at once. Even Shukaku had to gulp. The monster felt seen and naked under her scrutinizing glare. It felt that she could see it, even though she was not made aware of its presence. She gasped. This man...he is full of chakra! There's a concentrated ball of blue in his stomach which flickered black occasionally. It's like he holds a sea of it inside of him. She tried to hone her vision, to look past it. Shukaku sensed her probing and deflected it. Causing Hinata to hear an evil cackle within her head.

 _HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! IDIOT PRETTY GIRL!_

Hinata staggered back in fear. Gaara noted this and asked "Are you...are you alright?" His first words to her was just like her first words to him. None of them noticed that. She shook her head whispering "It's all in my head. I didn't hear anything." She faced him, trying to smile as warm as she can despite her eyes being puffy from tears and her voice harse from crying "I'm a-alright. Thank you...uhm-" Nobody had told her his name. He considered this for a few moments before replying "Gaara. Sabaku no Gaara."

 _Oy Gaara! That girl just tried to access me!_

It stunned the jinchuuriki "How?" he whispered inside his head.

 _The hell will I know?!_

"It's nice to meet you, Gaara-kun." she said before curtly bowing to him. No one had ever told him they had the pleasure of meeting him. They would usually either scream or throw weapons at him the moment he attempted to make friends. He was frozen in his place. Sensing his nervousness, Hinata tried to alleviate it by continuing "I hope we become good friends."

 _HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_  
 _For the love of_ kami _-_ sama _!_  
 _She doesn't even know you're to be her husband!_  
 _This is just too royally funny!  
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!_

"Urusai damare!" he yelled with eyes shut. Unfortunately Hinata thought it was addressed to her. She retreated and meekly uttered "Hai, I'm sorry for disturbing you." Gaara had been pissed at the Ichibi countless of times but this definitely takes the cake. Shukaku could feel the 'air' in his cell heavying, trying to flatten him into a tanuki pancake.

 _Yeah tough luck, kid. Don't worry.  
You've got the rest of your life to spend with her anyway.  
If you can't woo her we can always try to beat her into submission._

Gaara didn't like the last part one bit.

The door reopened and the people who went out had slowly returned. "Gaara," Baki summoned. The redhead got up and walked to his caretaker. "Head to the forest with Temari and Kankuro in the northeast and assist the Konoha genin in retrieving Uchiha Sasuke." His other siblings nodded. "Your goal is to find the remaining members of this retrieval team: Inuzuka Kiba, Nara Shikamaru, Uzumaki Naruto-" the sound of the last name had brought memories to the jinchuuriki. "Uzumaki Naruto, huh?" he said. Baki nodded "-And the ninja Rock Lee. He apparently escaped the hospital to help with the mission despite Hyuuga Neji's refusal to bring him along."

At the sound of the last mentioned name Hinata asked in all urgence "Neji! Nii-san? How is he? What happened to him?" Finding no answer from the foreigner's gaze she sought the other's faces. She noticed that Tsunade-sama and Shizune-san had disappeared. "So-someone. Please...t-tell me!" Temari pitied the girl, who was only met with silence. "What are you waiting for? Go now!" Baki commanded. Gaara lingered a stare before the three had leapt away.

Once the three were cleared, Danzou spoke to the remaining crowd "I guess that...concludes...the ritual. Let's adjourn to the banquet hall again and discuss further concerns regarding this engagement. You'll find that Konoha has a lot to clarify." The council members trailed behind him. Hiashi, before he exited, barked at his two subordianates "Kou! Natsu! Don't let her leave."

The door closed again. Hinata desperately looked at Natsu " _Onegai_ , Natsu-san. Please...l-let me see N-Neji!" The others eyes were filled with mercy and wanted to rush to scoop her out from her pitiful circle and carry her to him herself. Of course, Kou was there to grab her by the arm. "Hiashi-sama-" Natsu's face formed a scowl that unnerved the guard. "I will deal with Hiashi-sama!" The green-haired helper crouched across her, smiled and said "Come with me, Hinata."

 **...**

Hinata rushed to the hospital, her formal kimono now in tatters as she tore it off while she ran and leapt through the obstacles. The fastest way to the hospital was a straight line and she charged towards the rooftops, poles, stalls and fences in place. Nothing can change her course even if she has to jyuuken her way through them.

At the hospital ICU she just sat there for hours, fidgeting with her fingers, playing with her lip, shuffling her feet, while she waited for the light in the operation room to turn off. One hour bled onto two then three then four. After that she will count to _seven...eight...nine_. She fell asleep in the morning and Natsu brought her breakfast. When she asked about her father, the latter assured her that she had dealt with him properly and he would not disturb her for the day. It was all the relief she needed. She would swing her legs on her seat, look out at the window next to her, watch the medics take their shifts, go outside to wipe their sweat or drink water or take a call.

 _sixteen...seventeen...eighteen..._

When the ICU was empty she would practice her taijutsu without chakra. She had been more graceful, more agile, more perceptive at it. Most importantly, she was more daring to strike. No more mercy.

 _twenty-one...twenty-two...twenty-three_...

Natsu swung by to bring her lunch, snacks and something to read. She stayed for an hour then she was left again to wait.

 _twenty-seven...twenty-eight...twenty-nine..._

It was approaching sundown again and her eyes were closing.

 _...thirty._

The sun had gone down. And she the light finally turned off. Shizune got out, about to burst to a run when she saw Hinata. A blink close to sleep but was woken up by her exit. "Nii-san..?" she scrubbed the dust off her eyes. Shizune went to her and patted her head "Don't worry, Hinata-chan. Neji-kun is out of danger." To this her tears automatically surfaced and she began to sob "Thank goodness." She wiped the tears running down her cheeks. "Don't cry, Hinata-chan. You can visit him a little later. It's night time and past the normal visiting hours but you've waited this long so I'll make an exception for you, okay? Just be quiet." She nodded and fought her shaking exterior "H-h-hai! Shi-zune...s-san!" Shizune ruffled her hair once more "I've got to go tell the rest. Take care!"

 _...thirty-three._

Hinata held her unbroken gaze at him for the past few hours. She reveled in the rise and fall of his chest, a sign that he was breathing and he was alive. He was cut in more places than one and his entire body was blemished purple and blue. She dared touch the wound that ran across his cheek. Despite this all, despite his battered and near-death state, she still found him so beautiful. She gazed at the bedside table with a clear vase. "I'm sorry I couldn't bring you flowers. I wanted to b-but I didn't know when the operation would be done s-so I just...waited."

"I saw you when I pricked myself with that needle. I saw what happened." She twiddled her thumbs, looking at her nii-san who was undisturbed. "Father just watched me there. He...he didn't want me to leave. Natsu brought me here."

She gasped "Oh I'm sorry! I attended an event. I realized it's not yesterday but the other day ago. This weird ceremony with the Suna-nin. I didn't hear them much they only talked about chakra." Her index finger circled each other. "I'm sorry again, I talk too much...I'm talking your ear off and sadly, you can't call me out on it..." Her thoughts go back to their memories. A lot of times her nii-san was strict. He would not hold back his punches and he would attack her the moment she gets up. He would bark orders at her and expect them to be fulfilled, although she's at the limits of her body. There were times that she wished she had more chakra, more stamina, just a little more, so she'd be stronger in a faster rate and improve. He would compliment her progress and her will, yet at the same time he will criticize her hesitance and sluggishness.

Training with him was like chasing a bird up in the sky. You can follow it with your eyes but you know that no matter how high you leap, you can never reach it, or stay in the air for as long as it can. Throughout their time together, it felt that Neji nii-san's expectation on her and himself were like that.

And even if it would always feel a little bit hopeless it would never be. After all, he was there for her and it's all that mattered.

"Nii-san, Back when I became blind due to eyestrain, you thought I didn't know but I could feel you." The widest smile was strewn across her face "You were around the house all day. You took care of me even without letting me know. You arranged the things in the house so I could grasp them and use them. You removed the cat from the steps so I would not trip over."

The window granted the moonlight to shine on them. "Maybe...you didn't want to owe me anything...or you're too proud. Don't worry, I understand that."

"You have nothing to owe me! I owe everything to you! If it weren't for you...training me...believing in me despite how many times I failed you-" Tears ran down her cheeks again "You-Y-You promised...t-to be...by my side! Always! S-see wh-what...ha-happens when...you're n-not..?" Deciding that she did not make sense and could no longer verbalize her emotions, she rushed to the sleeping man. He was just majestic. His face relaxed in his slumber.

"Neji," she uttered his name, ever so faintly. Endearingly, a register above a whisper. She was so close that her breath warmed his face "I wouldn't know what to do if I had lost you." The patient's face winced, trying to respond to her. She eagerly watched his lips as it struggled to move-to form words. _To assure her again_ , she thought. _To renew his promise._ That _he_ lived because of _her_.

Hinata, sapped of all energy, allowed herself to chuckle "I should go home now. I can't let Natsu-san cover for me anymore." She planted a soft kiss on his lips before she got up and headed for the door "I'll bring you a yellow rose next visit." And the door was slammed shut.

 **...**

Upon reaching the Hyuuga compound, Hinata was hit with dread. The lights of the surrounding houses, those belonging to the branch family, were all snuffed out. There was not a Hyuuga member walking outside. _Strange_ , she thought. This usually just happens in important meetings. Like weddings or funerals or-

 _or battles._

It was windier than usual. Hinata sensed a storm afoot. She bravely step foot into the compound and found herself across the courtyard. The whole family was gathered there. Their faces were a mishmash of sterness and sympathy, delight and hatred. Natsu was nowhere to be found. Kou was particularly somber. At the center of them all was the head of the clan, her father, anticipating her. Was this the punishment for defying him?

"Hinata," he had spoken. Calm and ominous, woven into one "When the sun rises, you will depart for Sunagakure with Baki, Gaara, Kankuro, Temari-" Hinata gaped in shock.

"No!" A voice, not seemingly his daughter's, had interrupted him. Even the Hyuuga elder sitting cross-legged behind him was amazed. Hiashi dismissed it and said "You will."

"Why?" she asked right away, her tone uncharacteristically condescending. He dismissed it again and replied "You are engaged to Suna no Gaara. You will honor that arrangement."

"Why?" she repeated, now a little harsher. "You never told me anything. You just wanted me to follow you. Always, always...like I'm to weak to even be granted a will of my own."

In response, her father lifted his chin to further look down on her "In your marriage lies the fate of two countries. Millions of people, shinobi or not. I will not bicker with an insolent fool like you." Hinata laughed weakly and whispered "Insolent fool..." She held her gaze at him and unleashed her fury "All my life...all my life I've tried to be what you want me to be-" She shook her head "No, there was no room for trying. I just had to be."

"You said I always failed you but...what if...what if I didn't? It was just you who disappointed yourself?!" A chorus of murmurs danced with the ever stronger wind. Kou frowned in sadness as he muttered "Hinata-sama..."

Hiashi advanced towards her. She retreated at his pace "You always said it's for the clan. That I needed to be strong because I was born first? It was fate and some things cannot be changed? They're all lies!" Her father sprinted and she was fumbling backwards. Still she spoke "I've...I've grown up...fast enough to know that everything was just an excuse! It was all just to hide that you were a terrible father!"

Her father had reached her "You talk too much."

 **SLAP!**

Her father slapped her with the back of his hand. More accurately, he swatted her like a fly. She was sent hurtling meters onto the side. Once she had stopped rolling she propped herself up, wiping the blood off her busted lip. "I'm a terrible father. You're...even worse. You cannot be trusted to rule the clan. You were outclassed by your own sister, who was years younger than you! Now tell me, what other use do I have for you? Being that bakemono's bride is the best use to me you'll ever be." Kou sensed something wrong. He discretely activated his byakugan.

"You're wrong," she said as she gets up. She was fatigued from more than thirty hours of waiting and worrying, but the blood in her veins were rescucitated, screaming for some form of justice.

He raised his eyebrow "On what, on you being useless?" She shook her head and activated her byakugan "No. _Chichue_ , you are the _bakemono_." With blinding speed she never knew she had she dashed at him. She almost caught him offguard but he spread his feet and anchored himself for the first palm. Then another. He managed to counter it with his forearm. He used the opportunity to snake past her defense and jab the first tenketsu of her arm. She bolted away in pain. He applied far stronger pressure than Neji nii-san ever did. She knitted her eyebrows. It only meant one thing. He didn't want to just seal her tenketsu so she won't be able to knead chakra. He planned to permanently damage her chakra system and incapacitate her to submission. She charged at him again.

"Hiashi! Don't kill your child!" berated the elder. Hiashi, despite being occupied slapping her palms away, managed to look over his shoulder and reply "She needs to be taught a lesson." This only infuriated Hinata, who decided to hit deflect his forearms harder and to widen her march towards him. A memory of Neji's advice popped into her head.

" _When you engage a Hyuuga like me, Hinata-_ sama _, always make sure to keep one foot between two of mine. That way, I won't be able to use Kaiten on you._ "

She almost hit him square in the chest when he kicked her feet, causing her to trip. He managed to step back and Hinata gasped while he smirked and began spinning around. " **Kaiten!** " The rotation violently threw her back. Her left forearm scraped the stone floor and broke skin. She nearly dislocated her shoulder from the fall. Not giving her a chance to get up she saw Hiashi running towards her. She pushed herself off the ground to stand upright and before she could regain balance, she already evaded two of his attempts to strike her. Once she regained stability she moved in and grabbed him by the sash, using her other hand to seal as many of his own tenketsu as possible. She was about to deliver a finishing blow when his father grabbed her by the sash and threw her across the courtyard. This time she tumbled and landed on her feet. She engaged him again, their palms sliding and slapping on one another. Byakugan against Byakugan.

The older man deflected harder and Hinata felt that he was aiming to fracture her. She stepped towards him again, almost grazing his stomach. Hiashi leapt away. He was fifteen feet from her when he wove his seals with finger-aching speed and blew a basic fireball technique at her. The shrieking incinerated girl poofed into a log. With Hiashi's doujutsu active, he spotted Hinata attempting to strike from above, the blue of the chakra so concentrated on her right palm that it was visible. Point blank, he attempted to set her ablaze with the remaining of his fireball technique from his mouth. She managed to duck somehow, but she had to land clumsily on the ground again. Her father flickered towards her and kicked the dirt onto her eyes. She could not see. The next thing she knew she was kicked like a ball. She had managed to get up, only to hear. "Too late. You are within my range."

These words could only incite dread. A giant invisible stone weighed down on her gut. Though she could not see it, she could sense her father in stance for the Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms technique. " **One!** " The first two strikes hit her with a force that could poke holes right through her. " **Two!** " She lost consciousness at the third strike of the four where another memory of Neji flashed before her eyes.

 _For true strength lies not in our eyes..._  
 _Hinata-_ sama _..._  
 _Fate is responsible for our circumstance but so is our choice..._

" **Three!** " He announced, followed by a barrage of eight strikes.

 _Again!_  
 _Look at me!_  
 _Not in our hands..._  
 _It is your Senbon Sparring..._

" **Four!** " Sixteen strikes felt like acid corroding her body.

 _Don't waste my time..._  
 _I should warn you that I am strict and a perfectionist..._  
 _There is more to sight than seeing...how would the eyes of the heavens see differently from those of the earth?_

She heard her own voice " _I'll take back my right. We'll change the Hyuuga-_ "

 _Leave your past self behind and improve to reach your dream. You have a dream, right?_  
 _And I'll always..._

" **Five!** " This time, her body would be too beaten to even knead chakra. Her byakugan begins to recede.

 _Always..._  
 _Always..._  
 _...always_ be by your side.

" **Six!** " As Hiashi stepped to deliver his lethal sixty-four consecutive strikes, he was surprised by a torrent of chakra emanating from Hinata's left palm which sent him carreening towards the wall of their house, breaking its pristine chestnut walls, until he falls onto the pond in the middle, along with the flowers he used to chastise her for. Hinata fell flat on her face in exhaustion. The Hiashi in the middle of the pond also poofed into a log. Her real father crouched beside her and turned her around. He wove the seals for the Caged Bird fuinjutsu and slammed his palms onto her forehead. "Seal!" The ground beneath her cracked from the force and the loudest, shrillest of tormented cry burst forth to mix with the thunder.

At the Konoha Hospital, a single tear streaked to the side of Neji's face.

 **AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

The spectators could turned their heads away, feeling they'd vomit. He lifted his palm and everyone thought it was over, when Hiashi began to weave another. The elder was alarmed "Hiashi! That's-"

"Suna cannot have your byakugan!" He laid his palm on her abdomen next, its heat ten times more painful than the earlier seal. Hinata lost voice from vociferating and Kou hurled a kunai at Hiashi. He evaded it and the seal was left partly engraved on Hinata. Kou through two more kunai in succession, each hitting the ground where Hiashi stood before he left. The third kunai, however, carried an explosive tag with it.

 **BOOM!**

Once the smoke had cleared and the spectators finished coughing, Hinata was tucked in Kou's arms while Hiashi was subdued by the elder's palm.

 **...**

When Hiashi opened his eyes, he saw the elder beside him. He felt ached and tired. His chest was filled with a dull burning ache that he could never discard. A lifetime regret. Guilt saturating his every pore. "Kou saw through the genjutsu cast upon you. It's something we only thought was an urban myth-a genjutsu that can manipulate you without you realizing that it did. That instead every choice was from your accord."

"H-how? Who?!" He was disbelieved. He forced himself to get up. The elder closed his eyes and nodded "You last talked to Danzou-dono. Kou and I believe he was the one who casted it on you."

"But how?" Hiashi groaned as he got up. The elder at the kneeling at the corner of his room nodded "A mystery indeed. We have sent our members to investigate." The clan leader pushed the sliding door open and steadied himself on it. "Pull them out. Danzou will...just...find a way to kill them without involving him." The sun was already budding at the horizon and a gust of wind came to snuff out the candle in his room. The sky was lavender, just like the color of her eyes, and it was a heartrending reminder of his betrayal. "The caravan for Suna had left, as was planned. You will not be able to see Hinata for six months, according to the agreement." He relit the candle. "It's for the best. You have rendered her far too broken after all."

The mere mention of her name had suffocated him and he scampered away, trying to outrun his past, that haunting night. He had been used as a pawn to his game. As he turned the corner he abruptly halted. Natsu was seething as she lunged at him and slapped his face. The force of it was so strong that he almost stumbled to the ground but he kept his bearings and his grief painted across his face. Lavender was replaced with a vermillion-tinted sky come sunrise. "How could you? How could you, Hiashi?!" Natsu cried.

Before the confrontation, the clan head ordered his subordinates to remove her from the vicinity. Danzou also had a hand in it by asking Morino Ibiki to detain her for the night under the guise of questioning her "foreign but lowborn Hyuuga descent." When she was released, she rushed home to a compound that had a crater and multiple cracks on its courtyard and several broken wooden walls that revealed the pond at the heart of the estate. Seeing no sign of either Kou or Hinata, the clever Natsu had put the pieces together. He told him before of the planned engagement and everything that had occurred was testament to its success...and to the inevitable trauma it brought to Hinata.

So she confronted him and hit him once but she could not hit him again as she saw the vulnerable honesty of his regret. Natsu threw her arms around him and he broke down in tears. To comfort him she seized his lips with hers. Hiashi quickly pushed them inside the futon storage room. Just as the door slides shut, they had stripped off each other's robes.

 **...**

Upon seeing the caravan and a subdued, sealed Hinata with the freshly scorched Caged Bird Seal on her forehead, Danzou allowed himself to smirk. Baki placed a hand on his shoulder "We ought to get going. Or else, this is not going to work." The elder nodded and the jounin disappeared.

The plan was simple. Danzou would confuse several ambush parties by having his ANBU transform themselves into the royal couple and the other Sunagakure visitors. They would be the ones to be shown in public while the real couple was already a day travelling onto Suna. The ones they would be ambushing, the caravan leaving after the public reveal, were fake and they'd be assassinated by these experienced shinobi. If somehow the enemies got a whiff that they'd be leaving earlier than expected, Konoha had prepared several plain and decoy caravans to confuse them.

He took one last look at the Hyuuga, who was catatonic from last night's events. The southwest gate of Konoha gradually flung open and the caravan began to leave. He turned around and walked away. His cane hitting the pavement he mused "And to think that I'm forced to reveal myself, to use that technique on Hyuuga Hiashi no less..." A devious triumphant grin, followed by a red eye which gleamed through the mesh of his half-bandaged face.

* * *

 **A/N:** Yes, if it ain't obvious enough, Danzou used Kotoamatsukami on Hiashi. Also, Natsu is his concubine. And yes, Neji means _more_ to Hinata.


	7. Vignette: Glimpse of A Future

**...**

 **A/N** : Izumi-san here! This is like a filler before C7 arrives, which is when the Konoha-Suna party departs for Sunagakure.

 **A minor caveat:** Nothing is set in stone in Devil's Claw so this 'future' may or may not be canon. That's why it's also glimpse of 'a' future instead of 'the'.

The setting of the vignette is a couple of days after the return of the Kazekage, who was kidnapped by the Akatsuki for the Ichibi extraction. This will be short!

Dedicated to _Justanaiza_ who found me, somehow, despite not updating for weeks.

* * *

" _Planting a flower in the desert takes greater skill than growing a garden in a_ rain forest _._ " - Matshona Dhliwayo  
 **  
**

 **Chapter 6.5: Glimpse of a Future**

 **EEEEEEEEEEEKK!**

All the windows surrounding the top of the Sunagakure Medical Center burst. Various shinobi and med-nin were seen hurtling out the window. "Aaaahhhh!" They yelled in chorus, their balance so toppled that they would hit the ground before they could land on their feet. The sand followed them, wrapping itself onto their ankles to stop their fall, and hold them upside down. The sand yanked them back up to the level where they fell while the people below were escorted by the remaining ninja on the ground, away from the ensuing skirmish.

"Damn it Gaara!" Baki said from the ground, as he avoided the torrent of sand attempting to seize him.

It had been years since Gaara attacked the city and that was due to the Ichibi's goading. Now that the bakemono is no longer within him, people should have nothing to fear anymore. They expected him be calmer, more rational, less prone to anger. Instead, he became the opposite.

The ninja the sand had pulled up to the topmost floor of the hospital were all set upright before being wrapped by sand until only a part of their necks and heads were exposed. He had spared no one, not even his siblings Temari and Kankuro.

"Gaara listen to us!" Kankuro pleaded. As he spoke the sand wrapped around him had adjusted to gag his mouth.

The circular architecture of the hospital and the almost-floor-to-ceiling windows allowed everyone to view him and the woman confined on the bed.  
She thin and seemingly spent, but not frail. Her midnight blue hair, that now had reached up to her waist, was splayed onto her sides. Her arm was strapped next to a dextrose and additional fluids, pale lavender-tinted eyes rimmed under puffy skin, the orbs sunken by lack of sleep. Her lips were always tinged a hue of pink but were chapped beneath the oxygen mask. Her pallor was not as rosy but she remained nonetheless ethereal in her beauty. A porcelain doll amidst the terracotta fixtures.

"Anyone who so much as laid a finger on my wife will die! Tell me, who did this?!"

"Gaara-sama!" one of his royal guard beckoned. Gaara raised his fist in his direction and the entire sand covered the ninja's body. It wasn't only his, but the others' sand as well were slowly engulfing the rest of their bodies. Just as before his sand could reach his sister's mouth and before he could close his fist to perform his Sand Burial Technique, Temari shouted at him "Hinata's pregnant!"

The wide eyed redhead lost control of the sand which became limp without his chakra. Temari and the others collapsed on their knees coughing, while the earlier guard who called upon him dropped unconscious on the ground due to suffocation. The fan-wielder rushed to her comrade's side to turn him over and help him breathe. Meanwhile, the sand Gaara had sent after Baki had returned, hurling the jounin a few paces across him. He groaned as he stood up, his right hand holding his nearly dislocated left shoulder. He looked around and glared at him for what he did.

The beeping of the machine behind them continued. At the third beep, the glower they held for each other dissipated and the older man began to speak "Hinata-sama went after you the moment the Akatsuki captured you. She was near the border of the city when she collapsed on the rooftop. When we brought her in for treatment, the doctors found out that she's with child. Your child!"

"I didn't know." Gaara sat on the edge of his wife's bed and laid a hand on her cheek. Hinata reflexively leaned onto his palm, the hair on her forehead parted and revealed the Caged Bird Seal.

"That's not all," Temari cut in with a colder and sterner tone "She's not weakened by her injuries. She's being weakened by the pregnancy. Remember what the Bat Hag told us, more than three years ago?"

A flashback in his head. The Bat Hag told them that Hinata's fire and lightning chakra natures will clash with Gaara's wind and earth. Baki then asked if it is possible for her to bear someone who can manipulate sand. The Hag said it is, but the conflicting natures of the child and the mother will result to only one of the two outcomes: either the mother overpowers the child and abort it, or the child overpowers the mother and weaken her to die somewhere within her last trimester and the child will be brought out strong but premature.

"Either way Gaara," she called his attention again "The council has decided that her chakra needs to be restrained. We can't allow your child to die."

Chakra restraints will weaken the mother considerably but it will allow the child to develop without being damaged by the conflicting chakra natures. To Hinata, this means that she would only have the minimum chakra to keep her alive. Anything drastic such as using either jyuuken or byakugan for a certain amount of time, would have a chance of killing her, if not putting her in a comatose state.

Temari had just stepped once forward and the sand was immediately in front of her, shaped into blades. "I am the Kazekage...and I refuse." His murderous stare caused her to step back again. He raised his arms and commanded the remaining sand to surround him and his wife, forming into countless lance-like blades ready to pierce anyone who advanced. He glared at the guards who were afraid, and to his siblings and father-figure who were determined, to fight to their death. He was prepared to begin assault when Hinata's hand latched onto his arm nearest hers. Her hands slowly climbed up and entwined her hands with his. She was half-sitting up as she pulled him back beside her. The blades remained still in the air while her husband gazed at her, eyes the color of seafoam brimming with worry. She managed a smile " _Anata_ , let them do it."

No one dared say a word. Gaara's mouth parted in shock. He wanted to protest but it was his wife's turn to caress his face "I will do everything it takes...to keep this child inside me."

"But you-"

"I know that!" she retorted, evening her breaths. _Her stay in Suna had changed her. She was more daring now. Strong yet humble. Confident yet amiable. Just and merciful._ She smiled wider for him as she tightened her grip to both his hand and cheek "I will not die. I have not yet achieved my dream."

* * *

 **A/N:** ' _Anata_ ' is like the equivalent of ' _darling_ ' in Japanese.

How's that for a glimpse? I'm planning on doing more of this in the future. Tell me if it's okay!

I may be gone for a while but-definitely-see you next update!


End file.
